Superman and The New Avengers
by AliusNeo
Summary: After a battle against the Avengers, which was brought about by Lex Luthor; Superman finds himself stranded in the Marvel Universe. Watch as he joins forces with Spiderman to continue his never ending battle...
1. The New Dynamic Duo

_Lex Luthor had declared War against The Man of Steel when he orchestrated the destruction of the Metropolis Bay District, killing over ten thousand people. While trying to escape, Lex beat Kara to near death; leaving her for Superman to find. Lex retreated to his lab and tried to engage an experiment of his; when Superman intervened however, the experiment backfired and ended up throwing the two across universes._

_The two ended up in the Marvel Universe. Superman; who was captured by the Avengers, became panicked when he learned that he was no longer on his own Earth, and made a mistake that would be the key Luthor needed to turn the Avengers against Superman._

_After a confrontation between Superman and The Avengers, who were led by Lex Luthor himself; Lex was shown for his true colours and The Avengers suspended their agreement with him. Now Superman is fully recovered from his battle, but remains lost in the Marvel Universe. Soon after his recovery, Superman was approached by a strange figure who had been searching for him on behalf of the Monitors of the DC Multiverse. The strange figure informed Superman that he would have to wait for three days until his companions would find him. This is the story of those days..._

(For the full story on HOW Superman came to be in the Marvel Universe in the first place, you might want to check out my other story _"The Marvelous Adventure of Superman."_ If you don't want to and just want to read about Spidey and The New Avengers, then that's cool. Hope you enjoy)

(Also wouldd like to add that_"The Marvelous Adventue of Superman." _has been edited into a final draft, except for the Epilogue. )

- "_Home is behind, the world ahead, _

and there are many paths to tread,

Through Shadows to the edge of night,

Until the stars are all alight.

Then world behind and home ahead,

We'll wander back to home and bed."-

_From:__"The Travelling Song" By J.R.R Tolkien_

**Day 1 / Part: 1: 10:20 AM**

"CK! You gotta check this out!" Peter Parker shouted as he charged up the hallway of Avengers Mansion; wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater, with a newspaper in his hand; running up to Supermann; who wore his full uniform except for his cape.

"What is it Peter?" Clark said as Peter handed him the paper.

"It's you! Well I mean it's a story about you! Just check it out!" Clark opened the Daily Bugle to see a picture of himself in full costume floating above the group of people he had saved from the bank. The article was entitled:_ Step Aside Masked Vigilantes. There's a 'Superman' In Manhattan_. "I think you may have made J.J. Jameson your biggest fan." Peter said with a smile.

Clark looked over to Peter with a confused look on his face as he opened up the paper and began to read the article about him. "Someone you know I take it?" Peter let out a low chuckle as he pondered on how much better life was when he didn't know J.J...and how much less fun he had as Spidey.

"He's my boss at the Daily Bugle." Peter said as Clark closed up the newspaper and handed it back to Peter.

"You work at a newspaper?" Clark said with surprise.

"Yah. No. Well I'm a free-lance photographer, so...hey, aren't you going to read it?" Peter said half insulted as he took back the paper.

"I already did." Clark said with a smile; to which Peter looked at him with a disbelieving look before he started to laugh slightly.

"That...you...you're serious aren't you?" Peter said, his eye's widening as a smile perched over Clarks face.

"Yep."

A look of reverence fell over Peters face. "Wow...when I think of the hours I've spent reading over books trying to find out every last detail...and you can just bzzzt!" Peter made a strange buzzing noise as he zipped his hand around in the air. "So CK...what exactly did you say gives you your powers?" Peter said as he leaned in close, expecting Clark to whisper some great secret into his ear. Clark laughed.

"Sorry Peter; I was born on a planet far away from Earth...I'm not actually human." Peters eyes widened even more.

"You..." Peter took a step back, shock evident on his face. Clark looked to Peter with a worried face, was it possible Peter was afraid of him now that he knew the truth? "You..." Peter continued. "...you're from outer space? No way! Can you take me? I mean I'd have to get a space suit; but if I get one can we go to space?" Peter said as he became more and more excited by the idea.

"Haha, maybe later. If you don't mind I'd like to go out on patrol. According to the Bugle there's still a mess from my fight with Hulk that needs to be cleaned up. I don't want to risk that someone might have been buried beneath the rubble like HawkEye and Black Widow were." Clark said as a serious look came over his face. The look of cherful glee left Peters face and was replaced by one of worry.

"That's a good idea. I'll come with. You know, because New York is a big place and all...the Big Apple it's called in our universe." Peter continued to speak as he and Clark walked down the hallway of Avengers mansion and back towards the briefing room. "Checking in with Fury?" Peter asked as Clark approached the door to the briefing room, Clark nodded back to Peter before he entered.

"I don't want him to think that I can just do anything I want. For the time I'm here I'll do what I can to help you...all of you." Clark walked through the door as a confused look came over Peters face.

"For the time he's here?" Peter said quietly as the door shut behind Superman.

"I don't need to remind you that this group **is **government sanctioned." Steve Rogers said as he sat in a chair at the table, Nick Fury standing behind him with a folder in his hands.

Nick Fury cast Steve Rogers an irritated look, "And I don't need to remind you that the sanction is only valid while **you** are on the team. What you're sugesting here is a new team; with new leadership. How do you think that idea will sit with the people in charge?" Steve Rogers and Nick Fury both looked up as Superman entered the room.

"Mr. Kent;" Nick Fury began, closing the folder in his hand and holding it by his side. "Is there something I can help you with?" Fury said as Superman approached the table.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to the battle site to help with the clean up." Fury began eyeballing Clark; trying his best to figure out if there was some hidden agenda.

"I don't have a problem with that. Though I'd feel better if you had an escort." Fury said as smile covered Clarks face.

"Spierman has already agreed to show me around." Steve Rogers began to smile brightly and looked up to Nick Fury; who rolled his eye.

"Fine. Tell Spiderman I want him to check in once every six hours." Clark nodded his head.

"Will do."

As Superman turned and began to exit the room he heard Nick Fury say to Steve Rogers; "Wipe that smile off your face Captain. Just because he's escorting this guy around doesn't mean anything." Clark heard a heavy sigh escape Captain America as Clark shut the door behind him and saw Peter Parker sitting on bench making adjustments to his webshooter.

"You don't give him enough credit General. You may be surprised at just how well he could do if you gave him the chance." Clark heard Steve Rogers say as he approached Peter Parker.

"I'm ready when you are." Clark said with a smile.

...

Superman lifted a large boulder over his head to reveal a small cat sitting in a small hole between several rocks. The cat craddled an injured paw to its chest as it looked up at Superman with sad eyes. Superman used his free hand to reach down and scoop the cat up gently, it released an annoyed meow as Superman held the animal close and placed the rock back on the ground. A small girl and her parents who were nearby cleaning through the debris of their appartment heard the cat meow and came running over.

The small girl smiled brightly at the sight of her cat in Supermans arms. "Mr. Whiskers; your paw!" The little girl said with horror at the sight of the blood on the cats paw.

"Mr. Whiskers is a tough kitty; its only a small cut, and it doesn't look infected. He'll be fine, I promise." Superman said as he handed the cat to the girls father, who looked at Superman with a look of shock and enlightenment. The mans wife came up and grabbed her husband by the arm, and taking her daughter by the hand before looking Superman in the face with a look of mistrust.

"Thank you." The woman said dryly as she turned with her family and began to walk away.

As they continued to clean up, Superman heard the husband ask, "Why did you do that?"

"Don't forget that this is his mess in the first place Frank. How many more Mutant attacks like this are we going to have to deal with?"

Superman turned to see Spiderman sitting on a bench talking on his communicator device that Captain America had given. Superman began to approach him. "Umm, oh! He lifted a car out of the ground which wasn't even that badly damaged. The owner was able to drive off in it. It was a nice car too; the guy was so grateful that he offered the BigGuy money!" Spiderman said through his communicator as Captain America retorted.

"Spidey... I'm going to pretend that the last fifteen minutes **haven't** been filled with your voice and ask you once more: Why are you calling when it's not the six hour check in period?"

There were several moments of silence as Spiderman looked at his communicator; he then lowered his head in shame. "I'm bored, okay. No body wants me to help them because Jameson has half the island turned against me." A short sigh was heard through the communicator.

"What did Hank say to you the first time you met?" Captain America said as Spiderman let out a long sigh.

" 'Letting Jameson label you a menace was your biggest mistake, but not your fist'. Ya, I know, laying in the bed I've made, or whatever old-oldschool word of wisdom you had lined up." Spidey said as Captain America laughed.

"You got it Spidey. So do me a favor and don't call again for three hours. It makes people worry when you call in before the assigned time; don't want us getting into a lax mood when there's a serious issue you need help with."

"Fair enough. Talk to ya later Cap." Spidey said as he turned off his communicator and turned to Superman, who stood with a smile on his face. "Is it all done?" Spiderman asked as he began to look around, seeing only the bank security guards unloading bags of money into an armored truck.

"I think I've done all I can." Superman said as he began to float in the air.

"Okay. Well I don't know about you Big Blue, but I am famished! What do you say we go get some of the best tomato soup on the planet!" Spiderman said with excitment as he jumped up the side of a building and landed on its roof; Superman gliding up to meet him.

"That does sounds good. I'm afraid I don't have my wallet on me though...no pockets. Maybe I should reconsider the cape." Superman said as he gripped the fabric which hung from his back.

"What! No way. The cape makes it! I've always wanted a cape, but all that swinging around...well lets just say its bad news to be in free fall **and **be blind as a bat." Spiderman said as a grin formed along Clarks face.

"I've seen a Bat pull out of a free fall."

"Ah, but was he wearing a cape?" Spiderman asked with a victorious tone; to which Clark replied in a joking voice.

"Actually, he was. He was wearing a cape long before I was." Clark said with a smile as Spiderman looked at him slightly confused.

"We're not talking about an actual bat, are we?" Clark smiled as he began to hover in the air.

"I'll tell you all about it over soup."

"Oh yah; soup! Don't worry about money. Our money is no good where we're going." Spiderman said with a grin as he leapt from the building and began to websling away, Superman following close behind him. As Spiderman turned the corner Clark could hear a high pitched laugh coming from several blocks away.

"They're leaving! Get everyone ready to move in." The voice said as the laugh calmed, and Clark flew around the corner to catch up with Spiderman.

"Spidey, I think we should double back for a minute." Clark said as he flew up next to Spiderman as he shot out another webline.

"What? No." Spiderman said groaningly as he launched himself towards a nearby wall; sticking to its surface. "Soup! Hungry! Remember?" Spidey said as he rubbed his stomach, Superman floating up to meet him.

"Trust me Spidey. We forgot something back there." A confused look came over Peters face.

"We did? I don't remember," Superman quickly cut in.

"Trust me. We forgot something important. Come on, follow me. We'll be eating before you know it." Superman smiled as he began to fly slowly down the road and floated at the other end of the street. Spiderman sighed heavily as he began to swing down to meet Superman.

"I've heard that before. That's what Reed said last time I went to visit. He just had to finish his new device." Spiderman thought out loud to himself as he shot another webline and swung around the corner to double back to where they had left from. "It was cool, sure; but it ended up throwing us into some pocket universe with dragons and wizards...again, cool; but I don't like fighting hordes of monsters on an empty stomach." As Spiderman spoke he could hear Clark laughing lightly ahead of him. As Superman turned the next street corner Spiderman could hear his laughing stop. Spiderman swung around the corner to the sight of Hobgoblin hovering abover the ground on his glider, holding one of the banks guards by the throat; the other three guards were scattered about as several masked men piled into the armored truck and began to speed away. Hobgoblin dropped the man along with a pumpkin bomb and began to fly away laughing. In a blur of red and blue Superman tossed himself onto the bomb as it exploded upon his chest. Superman rose from the ground, his chest still smoking from the blast. "C, er; Superman, are you okay?" Spiderman said as several of the guards began to approach.

"I'm fine. How are all of you?" Superman asked the group of guards as they all limped over.

"We're fine, Hobgoblin got the drop on us. We tried to hold him off but there were too many of them." The guard said as Superman reached out and placed a friendly hand on the mans shoulder.

"You were very brave; he could have killed you. You can leave the rest to us." Superman said as he turned to Spiderman; who was standing several feet away, with his arms crossed and staring off into the distance after Hobgoblin.

"It figures; and the Parker luck strikes again! Now I get to choose between going after a heavily armored bank truck, or dealing with pumpkin-bombs...I hate the Goblins!" Spidey said lightly as he clenched his fists. "You know what," Spidey said as he took a deep breath and pointed to Superman; "You take the twenty-seven ton speeding vehichle, I'll take the idiot with the bombs." Superman smiled.

"Sounds fair enough. See you in a flash." Superman said as he took off into the sky and began to soar down the road in the direction of the bus. Spiderman launched himself from his spot and began to websling as fast as he could to catch up with Hobgoblin.

...

"Did you see the look on that dumb guards face when I smacked him with my pistol? He was all like 'Don't hurt me!' Haha, pathetic." One of the goons said as he removed his mask, the man sat in the passengers seat with another goon at the wheel; and three men in the back counting the money. Several of the men laughed at their friends comment. As the truck sped down the street on of the goons in the back leaned into the front of the truck through a small window, "So what was our cut outta this again?" The man asked.

"Five percent each; and considering the haul; I'd say we're laughing." The man in the passenger seat said with a laugh as he leaned back in his seat, the other goon went back to counting money.

The truck shook for a moment and the three men in the back fell over. "What the hell! Watch your driving up there numb-skull!" One of the men in the back called out.

"I didn't hit nothin' there! Don't know what the hell that was." The driver said as he began to shift the steering wheel slightly from left to right, noticing that the truck was no longer responding. "What the hell, I don't think I'm driving this thing anymore." The man said as he let go of the wheel; but then there was a sudden tilt in the trucks trajectory as it began to soar into the skyline.

"What's going on? Did we die in that robbery?" The man in the passengers seat asked as he looked out the window. The man adjusted the driver side window so that he could see under the car, and when he did he was shocked to see Superman holding the car over his head.

"Huh...you guys don't happen to watch the news do you?" The man asked as he looked to the driver, and then to the three in the back. They all shook their heads. "I didn't think so." The man said, looking back to Superman as the truck was flown over the roof of a building and Superman began to double back to the site where they had stolen the truck from. "Okay, here's the plan. You three get ready to burst out the back. Once you've got their attention we'll pop out the doors and give you guys cover fire." The man said as he pulled out a pistol and cocked it back. Suddenly the man felt his gun become too hot to touch; he screamed in pain as the gun fell to the floor. Suddenly the same thing happened to the rest of the goons as their guns all fell to the floor.

The men looked from one another in disbelief; the driver began to pound at his steering wheel and try desperatly to change the direction of the car; but it was useless. Soon the men could see the ground getting closer to them; several police officers had arrived on the scene and were waiting for the truck to took hold of the front of the van as his feet his the ground, and he began to set the van down on the street. As the trucks wheels of the truck hit the floor; the three men in back opened the door and exited with their hands behind their heads. The two men in the front of the van followed shortly after.

The police officers quickly pounced on the robbers; putting their hands behind their backs and handcufing all of them. Superman began to float into the air. "Thanks for the help Superman." One of the police officers said as he waved to Superman. Superman returned the smile.

"That was an excellent response time gentlemen; I'm impressed." Superman said as the police began to put the goons into the back seats of several squad cars.

"Thank you sir. Glad to have you on our side." As the officer spoke, Superman heard an explosion in the distance, and the sound of Peter shouting"; he turned to the officers and said,

"Excuse me, I think I'm needed somewhere." And with that Superman took off from his spot in a blur of red and blue.

...

"Damn you, wall-crawler! How did you know we were there?" Hobgolin shouted as he tossed several pumpkin bombs towards Spiderman as leapt around in the air; using concentrated webblasts to explode the pumpkin bombs before they could hit him or do any damage to the surrounding area.

"Oh you know me Hobby-Gobby; I've got a knack for telling when there's trouble afoot." Spiderman taunted his opponent as he landed a webline onto Hobgoblins glider. The glider swerved in the air from the extra weight as Hobgoblin tried to shake Spiderman off of him.

Spiderman sent a second webline which connected to the glider as well. Hobgoblin began to fly over a building and crash Spiderman into a power generator; but Spiderman reacted by leaping over the generator with effortless ease. As Spiderman felt his feet plant on the ground, he began to think out loud to himself, "Sticky feet, sticky feet!" And soon Spidermans feet stuck in place, jerking Hobgoblin off of his glider. Hobgoglin reached up and grabbed hold of the edge of his glider and began to pull a pumpkin bomb from his pouch as his glider hovered in the air.

"You'll regret this Spiderman!" Hobgoblin shouted as he threw the pumpkin bomb towards Spiderman with all of his might.

As the bomb left Hobgodlins hand, Spiderman gave a powerful tug on his weblines, causing the glider to jerk with such force that Hobgoblin lost his hold and began to fall. As the pumpkin bomb neared Spiderman he leapt back onto the power generator and snagged the pumpkin bomb with a well placed webline and swung the bomb back around and tossed it towards the glider. The glider exploded and crashed into the building Spiderman stood on in a heap of flaming wreckage. Spiderman moved quickly to extinguish the flame by smothering it with his webbing.

Spiderman reached down to his stomach with one hand, and up to his head with the other before saying, "Phew, all that gliding around on an empty stomach made me kinda queasy." Spiderman said as he began to approach the ledge where Hobgoblin had fallen. "Can't believe I lost the badguy! That's what happens when I do this on a low fuel guage..." Spiderman said to himself as he looked over the edge to see Hobgoblin struggling against Superman as he held him by his orange hood.

Hobgoblin shouted out, "I'll teach you to man-handle the Hobgoblin!" He began to reach into his pouch for another pumpkin bomb, but before he could lift up the clasp, Superman smacked his palm against Hobgoblins head lightly, leaving him unconscious; dangling from his hoob as Superman held a firm grasp on it.

"That was fun. Almost getting exploded was what we forgot; wasn't it?" Spiderman asked in a bland tone as he crossed his arms, Superman floating up to meet him ontop of the roof with a light smile across his face.

" 'Almost' being the key word, " Superman said. Spiderman sighed slightly before Superman continued; "besides, it's not like we got attacked by any hordes of monsters." Spiderman uncrossed his arms.

"Yah...though that would have been cool." Spiderman said before his stomach let out a vicious growl. "Uh-oh. That didn't sound good." Spiderman said as he looked up to Superman. "Hey CK. Think you could do that 'swoosh' thing you do, and get Hobby to the police station?" Spiderman asked as Clark tucked Hobgoblin under his arm and disappeared in a blur of red and blue.

Spiderman raised his hand in front of his face and formed a fist. He lifted up one finger...then a second one; and then two more. As he went to extend his thumb for the fifth second there was another blur of red and blue and Superman stood before him. "Done." Clark said as Spidermans stomach growled again; this time louder, and more aggressive than the last time.

"Oh no; so hungry...and food, so far away...I'll never make it." Spiderman said as he gripped at his stomach. Superman floated up into the air and called back to Spiderman.

"Hey Spidey, launch a webline this way." Spiderman looked up to him confused; then Spiderman thought he knew what was about to happen, and quickly launched a webline up to Superman.

Superman took hold of the webline and wrapped it around his left arm several times; he then turned back to Spiderman and shouted, "Hang on tight!"

Spiderman took a firm grip on his webline as Superman took off into the air; Spiderman follwing behind him, literally dangling from a thread. Yet Spiderman was not worried; and instead of the expected terrified sceam; the people in the streets below could only hear Spiderman shout out in excitement, "YAHOO!"

**Day 1 / End of Part: 1: 2:56 PM**

{Hope you enjoyed the first chapter in Superman's 'vacation' in the Marvel Universe. Not so much of what the Title promises, I know; but as you might have picked up Steve Rogers wants Spiderman leading a new team...wonder how that will turn out? :p. Expect to see Superman teaming up with some familiar faces, and being pitted against brand new enemies (well...for Superman at least, bringing out some of the Marvel U's heaviest and deadliest) the likes of which The Man of Steel has never encountered before.}

(If you like what you've read then tap that review button and leave some feedback. You never know, something you say might spark a creative influence of some kind? I do enjoy reading them as well. :p)


	2. Tomatoe Soup A la Parker

((Hey guys; so I just realized yesterday that Chapter 2 has been MIA and was accidentally replaced by Chapter 7 at somepoint. Here's the actual chapter two; hope anyone who read through and was disapointed to find a missing chapter will be much happier now :). )).

Chapter 2:

**Day 1 / Part: 2: 3:22 PM**

Peter placed his bowl on the table and let out a long sigh, which illustrated how satisfied he was. Peter was back in his jeans and T-shirt; and Clark sat across from him at the table, wearing some of Peter's Uncle Bens old clothes that Peter had given him when they arrived, though he still had not got a replacement pair of glasses. Clark watched Peter as he seemed to form to the chair he sat on, a look of joy and content on his face.

"Wow Pete, you didn't waste any time on that." Clark said as Peter rose into a more comfortable position on his chair.

"I told you I was hungry. I'm not serious much; but when I am...I'm super serious." Peter said as he squinted an eye and glared at Clark for a moment. Clark cast Peter a light grin as he began to sip on the remainder of his soup. Peter sat back in his chair with a smile on his face. "Well...hope you enjoy the soup as much as I did." Peter said as he rose from his seat and picked up his bowl. "I'm gonna go help with the dishes. Aunt May cooked, I get to clean." Clark smiled as Peter left the room; he continued to sip on his soup and could hear Peter and his Aunt May laughing in the kitchen. Soon though Clarks attention was brought to a news report on the television next door. Clark listened in attentively.

"An airplane was hijacked earlier today from Southern Texas. Not much is known on how or why, but government officials have been avoiding media outlets and refuse to comment." Clark continued to sip from the soup as his attention was brought back to where he was as Aunt May entered the room.

"How is the soup?" Aunt May asked as he walked up behind Clark. Clark turned in his seat to face her.

"It's delicious. Thank you." Clark said with a smile as he continued to eat. Aunt May approached the table and took the seat that Peter had been sitting at.

"So, Mr. Kent; how exactly did you and Peter meet?" Aunt May asked as Clark's mind suddenly ran blank.

"We...uh. We're working on a story together." Clark said hastily, brushing some of his hair slightly over his face.

A slight grin formed along Aunt Mays mouth, "Oh really? What are you writting about?" Aunt May asked as Clark shifted his eyes to the door; he could hear Peter working away on the dishes.

"We...are...writting about that new costumes Hero that appeared the otherday." The smile on Aunt Mays face widened.

"Oh yes; Superman. I saw the news report about him; and I read the Daily Bugel about him as well." Clark suddenly felt a wave of worry rush over him. Did she know about Peter and Spiderman? Was it possible she recognized him as also being Superman? Clark began to miss his wide rimmed glasses.

"Yeah; I read that article too. Sure was something." Clark said in a lowered voice as he began to eat his soup at a faster rate. Aunt May laughed lightly,

" 'Something' doesn't begin to describe it. He saved over a hundred people from a burning building while trying to plead his innocence to The Avengers. He's someone people can depend on." As Aunt May spoke a weak smile came over Clarks face. Clark wondered if it was wrong of him to inspire people the way he does only to leave in a few days time...would people resent him?

"So Mr. Kent, may I ask you something?" Aunt May said in a soft voice as Clark looked up to her, still sipping his soup. "You and my nephew...are you two...lovers?" Clark spat out some of the soup in surprise.

"Are we...what?" Clark said with a panicked voice.

"Well, it's just Peter is always going in and out at all hours, and I never see him on any dates." Aunt May said as she placed her hand on her chin and watched as Clark began to squirm in his chair. He didn't want to reveal Peters secret to his Aunt, but he couldn't just admit to what she was saying. Clark looked over to the door with a worried look on his face.

"Peter!" Clark shouted as he rose from his seat so fast he knocked the chair over. "Get in here!" As Clark turned back he saw that Aunt May was laughing. Clark looked at her with a confused look as she looked up to him; wiping a tear away from her eyes as she stopped laughing.

"I'm sorry Mr. Kent. I couldn't resist." Aunt May said through a broken laugh as Peter entered the room.

"Whats going on in here?" Peter asked with slight concern in his voice.

Aunt May rose from her seat and placed a hand on Peters shoulder, "Oh nothing. I was just teasing you're new friend. You know Peter you really should start telling people you bring over that I know about Spiderman." Peter looked from Aunt May to Clark with a look of confusion on his face; then the look turned to a disapproving glare as he looked to Aunt May.

"What did you do?" Peter asked hastily.

"She asked me if we were lovers." Clark said as he crossed his arms and laughed lightly to himself.

"Aunt May!" Peter said, shock evident in his voice.

"What?" Aunt May asked, still laughing. "If you had seen his face Peter; you would have laughed." Peter squinted his eyes to Aunt May.

"I'm going to go finish the dishes; try not to embarass me anymore please." Peter said as he turned to leave the room.

"No promises." Aunt May called after him. Clark laughed to himself before finishing off the soup in his bowl.

"I can see where Peter gets his sense of humor from." Aunt May smiled back to Clark.

"That was nothing. When Peter first brought Reed Richards over I had him going for over a half hour; he tried telling me how Peter was helping him with some project...that man loves to talk." Aunt May came and sat down next to Clark. "So Mr. Kent; all joking aside, tell me a bit about yourself. Besides your 'extracuricular' activites; do you do anything else where you're from?" Clark sat back in his chair.

"Where I come from I'm a reporter at a place called the Daily Planet. Happily married to my co-worker and ace-journalist Lois Lane." Clark said as Aunt Mays face lit up with a smile.

"How wonderful for you. Now is it true that you come from some alternate history?" Aunt May asked as Clark nodded his head.

"Yes. Where I come from things are quite different. There's no Spiderman or Avengers, or Fantastic Four in my world." Aunt May seemed shocked; but Clark continued. "Not to say that there aren't others like me. We have our own group similar to the Avengers; we call ourselves the Justice League, and like the Avengers we do our best to keep a bad situation from getting worse." Aunt May smiled.

"Will they be okay without you there?" Aunt May asked in a curious tone. The question seemed to pound its way through Clark; he hadn't given much though to what the Justice League would do if something really bad happened while he was gone...what if they needed Superman right now? What if three days wasn't fast enough?

Aunt May noticed that Clark had a worried look cover his face after he question. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you worry." Aunt May said as she reached over and rubbed Clarks back.

"It's alright. I just...I worry about them." Clark said in a defeated tone.

"And I'm sure that they are worried about you too." Aunt May cut in. "A great man once told me that some bonds go farther than the world can stretch itself. If you keep true to your friends and what you all stood for; then that will help them do the same...even if you're not there to help them." Clark smiled as Aunt May spoke; he looked over to her and she was taken back by Clarks shining blue eyes. "My goodness Mr. Kent. How did you ever keep people from recognizing you?" Clark chuckled to himself at Aunt Mays question.

"Well, normally I had a pair of VERY thick glasses to cut down on the brightness of my eyes while; but unfortunatly I didn't have a pair with me when I was brought here." As Clark finished speaking Aunt May rose from her seat.

"Come with me Mr. Kent; I think I have just what you need." Clark got up from his chair and followed Aunt May up the stairs; Clark looked down the hallway and could see what was obviously Peters old room; with a pair of sneakers blocking the door from closing. "All geniuses are slobs!" Aunt May said nobily as she noticed Clark staring at Peters room. Aunt May led Clark into her room; she opened her top drawer on her bedside table and pulled out an old pair of bi-focals. "Ben was terribly nearsighted in his older years. Try these." Clark took the glasses from Aunt May and proceeded to place them on his face. Clark let his eyes adjust to the new lenses until he could see clearly. Aunt Mays face lit up with a smile. "I think those will do perfectly." Aunt May said as Clark turned to look in her mirror, noticing that he color of his eyes was cut to a dull grey.

"Thank you Mrs. Parker; I can't thank you enough." Aunt May waved her hand in the air.

"Think nothing of it; and please, call me Aunt May; all of Peters friends do." Aunt May began to exit the room, Clark following close behind her.

"Aunt May, can I ask you something?" Clark asked the two walked down the stairs.

"Please do." Aunt May said cheerfuly.

"How did you learn about Peter and Spiderman?" Aunt May stopped and fell deep into thought. Clark could feel her uneasiness at his question. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to;" Clark began, but Aunt May quickly cut in.

"It's quite alright. It's just...some stories aren't meant to be retold." Clark nodded his head in agreement, and the two continued down the stairs. As they came into the living room they found Peter sitting on the couch watching the TV; there was a report on where a SHIELD representative was reassuring the world that Superman was not a threat.

"Hey CK, can you believe this? I mean he has to tell people that you're not here to kill all humans; it's actually kind of funny." As Peter spoke he looked over to Clark and saw the sad look on his face. "Or, it's really not funny. Everything okay CK?" Clark shrugged as he reached up and took off the glasses before rubbing his nose.

"It's nothing, it's just...I had to go through this once already back on my own Earth...guess I shouldn't be surprised." Peter got up from the couch and gave Clark a comforting pat on the back.

"Don't worry about it CK; once people get to see you in action some more there's no way that they'll think this way for long." Clark began to smile.

"Does that mean your good to go out for round two?" Peter clapped a fist into his palm.

"Oh I'm ready." Peter said as looked down to Clarks hand and saw his Uncle Bens old glasses. Peter looked up to Clark and smiled. "Let's get going."

Aunt May waved goodbye to Clark and Peter as they walked away from her house, they would wait a while and then change into their 'work clothes'. Aunt May went back into the house and saw her tea set sitting in her china cabinet...

**Day 1/ Part 2 5:53 PM**

...

_4 Years Ago_

Aunt May washed a few tea cups as she giggled to herself about how her and her friend Nathan Lubensky had been teasing Anna Watson about her crush on Captain America. Peter had moved in with his friend Harry Osborn in an appartment closer to his University; and Aunt May frequently hosted get togethers. As Aunt May washed the tea pot she heard a loud thud come from upstairs. Aunt May listened for a moment, worry rushing through her; suddenly she heard several more thuds...they were coming from Peters old room.

As Aunt May left the kitchen she picked up the portable phone and tucked it into her pocket; she then moved to the stairs. As she passed a near by closet she picked up one of Bens old golf clubs that were stowed away and used it to arm herself. Aunt May made her way slowly up the stairs as only silence filled the hallway; yet as Aunt May got half way up the stairs, she heard a heart wrenching scream come from down the hallway. Aunt May rushed up the stairs and was horrified to see light stretching out from under Peters door. There were several loud crashing noises, the sound of glass breaking, and the light seemed to fall from where it was, and onto the floor, increasing the amount of light that poured out of the botom. Aunt May closed in on the door with the golf club in one hand, and her phone clutched in the other; ready to dial 9-1-1. Aunt May put down the glof club and opened the door, before hastily picking up the golf club again.

As the door swung open, Aunt May was horrified to see that Peters room had been torn apart; his old desk had been broken in two; the desk lamp lay on the floor with a broken picture of Peter, Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn when they were in highschool. There were several holes in the walls, and in the midst of the chaos was Spiderman, breathing heavily, and clenching his fists. Aunt Mays heart skipped as she dropped the golf club and pressed in the numbers on the phone. "You listen to me you menace! Get out of here before I call the police!" Aunt May shouted in fear as Spiderman's shoulders seemed to sulk, and he fell to his knees. "I'm warning you!" Aunt May screamed as she pressed the call button on the phone.

Aunt May pressed the phone to her ear as it began to ring; Spiderman raised his head and looked towards May; as he did, he called out in a pain filled voice that sounded as if he had been crying; "Aunt May." Her entire world began to spin as she stared at the costume clad man, he reached up to his face with a shaking hand and removed his mask to reveal Peter Parkers face, his eyes blood shot, his face covered in tears; and every inch of his face was contorted into a look of utter pain.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?" The voice rang through the phone.

Aunt May took a large gulp before she responded, "False alarm; thought there was a burglar, was just a racoon." Aunt May said as a voice responded to her through the phone; she didn't pay attention to what the person said and hang up a moment later; dropping the phone and rushing to Peters side, wrapping her arms around him as Peter began to cry into her shoulder, reaching up around and taking a tight hold of her. "Peter...what's happened?" Aunt May asked, more worried than she had ever been. Peter began to cry even harder as he lessened his grip and fell back from Aunt May.

"He k...he ki...Gwen...she...she's dead Aunt May...Gwen is gone." Peter cried out the words, shattering Aunt Mays world into a thousand pieces.

"No." Aunt May whispered.

Peter began to rub at his eyes; "It's my fault...it's my fault..." Aunt May held Peter close as he continued to cry into her shoulder...

...

**Day 1/ Part 3 6:10 PM**

"Thanks for checking in Spidey, be safe out there." Captain America said as the communicator cut out. Spiderman and Superman stood on a roof-top in Downtown Manhattan; Superman was overlooking the city as Spiderman put the communicator away and approached.

"Well now that that's out of the way we can get back to buisness. Hear anything?" Spiderman asked as Superman looked over to him.

"I can hear a few guys about to rob a food deli just a block away." A worried smile crept over Spidermans face;

"Well what are we waiting around here for?" Spiderman said as he ran by Superman and web-slung himself from the roof.

Superman smiled as Spidermans enthusiasm began to lighten his spirit, and he took off a moment after. As the robbers exited the deli Superman was waiting for them. The three men began to run in different directions away from Superman, but in a blur of red and blue Superman scooped up two of the robbers and proceeded back to the deli. Spiderman made quick work of the third robber, who ran around a corner only to be met by the hard fist of Spiderman. Spiderman lifted the unconscious robber over his shoulder and walked with him back to the deli.

The deli owner came bursting out of his shop with a wide smile on his face. "You stopped them! What can I ever do to repay you?" The deli owner said as he began to shake Supermans hand; after Spiderman tossed the third robber down with the other two the deli owner rushed in to shake his hand as well.

"I always knew that the Bugel had you wrong. Please, take some salami cuts; on the house." Superman and Spiderman exchanged looks, but Superman turned to the deli owner and said,

"Thank you, but I'm sure there are others who could use that food other than us. If you want to repay us, donate that food to chairty." The owners face lit up with a smile.

"Yes sir; of course. It would be a pleasure." The deli owner said as he shook the two heroes hands once again as the police car showed up on the scene.

"Ah good; the police are here. And we're off!" Spiderman said as he sent a webline up into the buildings and began to swing away. Superman turned to the police with a smile and said,

"Another excellent response time. Keep up the good work gentlemen." Superman then began to fly after Spiderman as one of the officers scratched her head, the deli owner waving goodbye as Superman left his sight.

...

**Day 1/ Part 3 8:20 PM**

Superman and Spierman rested atop an apartment building; Spiderman had picked up a couple bottles of water from a vending machine. Spiderman took a long gulp of water before turning to Superman. "You know; I don't think I've ever had a day like this." Spiderman said cheerfuly as he took another sip of water.

Superman raised his eyebrow, "What do you mean? I thought you said that you were busier now than you've ever been." Superman said as Spiderman began to chuckle.

"Well, ya I have been. I meant that things haven't gone this smoothly for me...ever. I mean we stopped seven robberies, four muggings and...how many car jackings?" Spiderman began to count on his free hand.

"Eighteen." Superman cut in as he took a sip from his own bottle.

"Yah...I mean, usually at least one of the perps manages to get away, but not this time. We picked up every straggler; no one got away." Spiderman raised his bottle to Superman. "Here's to you CK. You are one heck of a wing-man." Superman smiled as he raised his bottle and tapped his against Spidermans. The two then took a swig of water each, both of them gazing out to the Manhattan skyline afterwards.

"Can I tell you something Peter?" Superman said as he turned to look at Spiderman with a serious look on his face.

"Sure; what's up CK?" Spiderman said as looked over to Superman.

"I wont be here for long. I was visited by a man while I was at Avengers Mansion...he told me that in three days, my 'friends' would be able to get me home." As Superman spoke Spiderman felt joy run through him, but then was hit by a feeling of remorse. Before Spiderman could say anything, Superman continued. "But I'm worried that something is going to happen there while I'm gone. There are plenty of people who will take advantage of the fact that I'm not around...I just hope that everyone is okay without me..." Superman lowered his head, worry etching its way into him. Spiderman leaned forward and placed a friendly hand on Supermans shoulder.

"I know that you might not want to hear this right now CK, but you should try to put it out of your mind." Superman cast an aggrivated glance at Spiderman. "Yeah you don't want to hear this; but unfortunatly for you, you're going to." Spiderman said in a strong voice as placed his water down, standing up and begining to walk towards the Manhattan skyline. "Like you just told me, your friends wont get here for three days; so you're kinda stuck here right? You might as well try to enjoy yourself why you're here. Besides; I'm sure your buddy in the Bat-suit has something in his belt to deal with any situation...do you think he'd have any anti-Goblin spray?" As Spiderman finished speaking he turned back to Superman to see that a wide smile had grown across his face.

"Doubt it; but I can ask him when I see him." As Superman spoke he heard a strange noise; he looked past Spiderman's shoulder to see that there was something soaring towards him. Superman jumped from his spot and moved to push Spiderman out of the way, but Spiderman was already jumping to his side almost as soon as Superman had reacted. Superman could see that it was a spear that had been thrown, and the sharp metal tip shattered into thousands of pieces upon Supermans chest. Superman and Spiderman both began to look around. "There!" Superman shouted as he pointed to a building not even half a block away; on its roof Spiderman was annoyed to see the bright vest and fury collar of Kraven The Hunter, as he and seven others in similar attire jumped from building to building, making their way closer to this new Dynamic Duo.

"Ah, great. Kraven." Spiderman said annoyed.

"Friend of yours?" Superman said as he clenched a fist.

"You could say that," Spiderman began. "Whatever you do, try not to draw attention to his accent." Spiderman said as he and Superman watched as Kraven and his men made the final jump, and all landed on the far side of the building the two stood on.

"Spider. It has been a while, yes?" Kraven said menacingly as he drew a machete out of it's sheath.

"What did you say?" Spiderman said in an aggrivated voice. "I swear Kraven, you have got to work on your English. I know a great self help video for you." Spiderman said in the most mocking voice he could; Superman held back his laughter.

"I have little patience for you today. I have come far to finally add your head to my collection." Kraven said as he rubbed a finger along the point of his machete.

Superman and Spiderman looked at eachother; Spiderman said, "You don't suppose he's been paying attention to recent events do you?" Kraven spat as Spiderman spoke.

"You turn your back to me Spider...your first mistake." In a moment all of Kravens men began to close in on Spiderman and Superman. Superman sighed as he looked back to Spiderman.

"I guess not." Superman said with a grin as Kravens men closed in on them. Spiderman jumped into the action first; leaping towards the two closest men; planting a foot into ones face as he webbed the others feet to the ground. Superman took off and punched one of the men lightly in the chest; the man began to soar backwards, knocking two other men off their feet as he soared into a nearby ventilation system. As the two men who were knocked down began to get up, Superman gave them each a tap on the top of their heads, knocking them each unconscious.

Spiderman had knocked out the one man whose feet he had webbed and jumped back into a fighting stance beside Superman. "You don't know what you're up against here Kraven; you would probably do better if you all just knocked yourselves unconscious right now." As Spiderman spoke Kravens face contorted to a look of rage and disappointment.

"Worthless. All of you. I will take your head myself Spiderman; but first you will watch as I kill your friend." Kraven said as he took point at the front of his men, holding his machete in a ready stance. Spiderman laughed as he looked over to Superman.

"Yeah, he definatly doesn't watch the news." Spiderman said jokingly. Suddenly Superman heard a distant rumble; he turned his attention elsewhere for a moment and could hear the sound of metal bending; he could hear people shouting out, as if they were fighting a war. Then there was a deafening scream that filled Supermans head; it was so overpowering that Superman could feel his eyes begin to roll into the back of his head.

Superman fell to his knees, and to his surprise, Spiderman and Kraven, and Kravens remaining men all fell to their knees at the same time; each of them reaching up to the heads in pain as Superman did. For what seemed like only moments everyone in Manhattan seemed to suffer from a communal overpowering headache. Traffic all over came to a screaming halt as thousands of pile-ups happened simultaneously. The headaches stopped almost as quickly as they had started; Superman, Spiderman and the others on the roof all began to return to their feet.

"What the heck was that?" Spiderman said confused as he still rubbed his head. Superman looked over his shoulder in the direction he had heard all of the commotion before this had happened.

"I'm not sure what; but I think I know where." Superman looked back to Spidey with a worried look.

Spiderman but a thumb into the air and said, "Don't worry about me CK; I can handle these bozzos." Spiderman then pointed towards Kraven and his men, who were still recovering. "You go save the world; leave this to me." Spiderman steped in front of Superman and clenched his fists.

"You're sure?" Superman asked in a worried voice.

"Sure I'm sure. Now go, before I turn my light hearted humor on you." Spiderman said as Superman began to grin. Superman took off into the air and out of sight. Spiderman got in a ready stance as Kraven and his men began to surround Spiderman.

"Your friend has abandoned you because he knows death is near." Kraven said in a taunting voice as Spiderman began to laugh at him.

"Yeah; that's why he left. It's not like there might be bigger things that he can help with." Spiderman then took a long sigh. "If you don't mind can we do this quickly? There's a new CSI on tonight; and I dont plan on missing it."

**Day 1/ Part 3 8:42 PM**

((OMG, wtf is going on? Hurry up and click the next chapter! I can't wait!)).


	3. Xavier Mansion

(Okay, so here is the Revised Chapter 3. I know I promised that it would come with chapter 4...but I guess I'm a liar :(... But dont worry, I've added more to this chapter. I felt that since I didn't get anything out last month that I would refine what I have and get it out to you. Enjoy the revised Chapter 3.)

Chapter 3:

Day 1/ Part 4 8:45 PM

As Superman soared through the air as fast as he could, he could hear Spiderman and Kravens men fighting as he went. "You guys are doing really good," Spiderman taunted, "unfortunately; I'm just doing so much better." Superman smiled to himself as he listened; but he couldn't get distracted, he had to focus on the task at hand. Soon he began to approach a large mansion which had several clear signs of battle: the gate was broken in, and there were several gaping holes in the wall surrounding the front door.

Superman landed lightly in front of the gate and took notice of how the bars on the gates seemed to have been pushed together...but there were no signs of hand marks or any evidence to indicate that a person had done this. As he continued to examine the gate, he took notice of a large plaque which had been torn off the wall; he knelt down and light flipped it over. As he stood back up he looked down and read the inscription. It read, "Xavier Academy: School for the Gifted"; and underneath it someone appeared to had chizzled the word "Home". Superman smiled to himself as he looked up and towards the mansion; his smile turned to a worried stare as he remembered the name of the man who had read his and Lexes minds... Charles Xavier. Superman began to examine several large portions of ground which almost seemed to have been risen up from beneath; when suddenly there was a pain stricken moan and the sound of rubble shifting coming from within the mansion.

Superman took off from his spot and quickly entered one of the large holes in the wall of mansion. There was a feeling of awe that ran through him at the sight of the interior of the mansion; it had an almost medieval quality to it, but it also looked it a tornado had gone through it. Several tables were broken into pieces, and there were several more holes in the interior walls.

"Hello?" Superman shouted out cautiously; but there was no response. Superman began to walk cautiously around the main hall, examining the broken furniture and the damage that had been done to the mansion...there had been a battle here. As Superman continued down the hallway he heard another pain stricken moan and more rubble shift over; Superman activated his X-Ray vision and could see that in a room down the hall was a woman trapped under a collapsed ceiling. Without thinking, Superman charged recklessly down the hallway and into the room; he then reached under the largest portion of the collapsed ceiling and lifted it effortlessly, as he did all of the ruble seemed to roll off it to reveal the injured woman. She had long shining silver hair; and she wore a strange black outfit with a large 'X' embroidered on the front.

"Are you alright?" Superman asked as he held the piece of ceiling above him. The woman opened her eyes and looked up to Superman; she had a dark complexion, and was one of the most beautiful women Superman had ever seen. She moved out of the debris and stood behind Superman as he dropped the ceiling back to the ground; turning to face her he noticed that she looked up at him with a warm gratitude in her eyes, and Clark couldn't help but feel his face begin to go red.

She smiled and spoke in a softly accented voice which emanated strength; "Thank you Superman, you're arrival is most fortunate." She said as she brushed several pieces of wood out of her hair.

"You know who I am?" Superman asked slightly confused. The woman looked up to him with a warm smile which made Clark blush even more.

"After your morning with Spiderman I doubt that there is a person in Manhattan who doesn't know who you are." The woman said as Superman scratched his head and laughed slightly to himself; recalling his morning of crime fighting with Spiderman. "My name is Orora Monroe;" the woman said as she bowed her head slightly, "though you may call me Storm."

"What happened here?" Superman asked with great concern in his voice. The light attitude that had filled their meeting dissipated in an instant. Storm reached up and placed a hand on her forehead; she had taken a pretty bad hit and was having trouble remembering the exact details of what had happened to her.

"We were doing some training exercises when we were attacked." Storm began, her memory seemingly clearing. "There was no warning. They somehow got into our security systems and deactivated them; before we knew it we were overwhelmed by the BrotherHood." Superman's eyebrow went up.

"The who?" Superman asked with light confusion, and mild interest.

"They're a group of mutants led by Magneto. They're bent on making Mutant-Kind the dominant species of the planet. We've clashed with them several times; but whatever they're up to this time, they mean business. They've never attacked our home with this kind of force before...they're after something." Storm removed her hand from her forehead and looked up with a look of shock. "I need to get to the safe-room and check on the younger students. Here, take this." Storm reached into a pocket which was sewn into the embroidered 'X' on her suit, and pulled out a small piece of paper. "Those are the over-ride codes for the elevator to the basement-sub-levels; you'll need to get there and stop Magneto. Prevent whatever he's doing." Superman cast Storm a confused look as he reached out and took the piece of paper.

"How do you know you can trust me with this?" Superman asked with a concerned voice; to which Storm smiled and said, "Professor Xavier told us what kind of person you are...from what he told us; I believe I can trust you with almost anything."

Storm then exited the room, walking with slight limp as she went; but she turned back to face Superman and called out to him, "Go now; get to the sub-level. The elevator is that way." Storm said as she pointed back the way Superman had come from. "Take that hallway,"

"I see it." Superman said hastily, interrupting Storm, who smiled brightly as she gazed into Supermans eyes. "Magneto wont know what hit him." Storm said with a wink as she took off down the destroyed hallway as fast as she could. Superman turned on his spot and took a deep breath..._I'm happily married. I'm happily married._ He thought to himself as he took off towards the elevator. Within several seconds Superman stood before a section of wall which looked like it had been torn from its place; just like the gate outside, the metal seemed to have no evidence of anyone touching it. As he examined what was behind the bent metal he could see a large metal elevator door; there was also a room on either side of the hallway beside the elevator.

Superman approached the elevator cautiously and found the access panel located on the center of the door; he quickly looked over the paper Storm had given him and began to press in the code; the door made a loud beeping noise and the doors parted open. Superman went to step into the elevator, but as he did he felt a powerful tug on his cape and he was launched back down the hallway. Superman spun around several times violently in the air as he soared down the hallway at an incredible rate; but after every spin his speed would lessen until he came to light hover almost one hundred meters down the hallway. Superman looked up to see a large man with metal skin standing in front of the elevator; the man wore a yellow and red outfit with the same embroidered 'X' on his chest. "I shall let none of the BrotherHood pass." Colossus shouted down the hallway in a light Russian accent as he began to charge towards Superman.

"Wait!" Superman shouted out, panic and worry in his voice as he raised his hands in defeat. Colossus stopped his charge and began to stare down Superman with a distrustful glare. "I'm not your enemy. I felt some kind of...communal headache; it seemed to effect the whole Island. I came here to investigate and found a woman who called herself Storm." Colossus' face took on a more relaxed look.

"You have seen Storm? She is alright?" Colossus said as he cautiously approached Superman. "You are the one the Professor told us of. You are the Superman." Colossus said astonished as he took a step back, to which Superman nodded his head. "Yes, I'm here to help." Superman said as he lowered his arms to his side and floated to the ground.

"That is good to hear; follow me. I shall lead you to the Professor." Colossus said as he and Superman made their way to the elevator and Colossus began to enter in his personal access code; there was another loud beep as the doors closed behind Superman as he entered the elevator.

The two felt the elevator begin to shift roughly as it made its descent; Colossus turned to Superman and began to press him for information, speaking in a tone which showed that he respected Superman. "What did Storm know about the attack?" Colossus asked as Superman turned to him with a worried look on his face.

"She said that a group called the BrotherHood was behind it, but she wasn't sure about what they were after." Superman said as a worried sigh escaped Colossus, who rubbed his head roughly as he began to think.

"I overheard Quicksilver and Avalanche speaking; they spoke of a master plan, and how they are here for the Professor." Supermans face took a hardened resolve; he may not have appreciated Xaviers probing of his mind, but he didn't want anything bad to happen to the man who could build a place like this... Colossus continued to speak after a moment, "I also heard them say something about Cerebro; it's possible they may have tampered with it... If the Professor was exposed to something while in Cerebro, that would explain the communal headache you spoke of." Superman nodded his head in acceptance; though he knew that there wasn't time now to get filled in on what exactly Cerebro was.

There was another loud beep as the elevator came to halt; the doors parted open to reveal a long metallic hallway which was untouched, and seemed as if nothing had happened. There were several mechanical doors along the hallways, with one very large circular door at the far end with a large 'X' embedded across it. "Cerebro is in there." Colossus said as he pointed to the circular door. The two began to make their way cautiously down the hallway; as they passed one of the doors along the hallway, it parted open to reveal a man wearing tattered blue jeans and a white tank-top. The man had a scruffy look to him, and a wild hair-cut with grizzly sideburns, and what appeared to be small knives protruding from the spaces between his knuckles. Superman got into a ready stance, prepared to fight, but noticed that Colossus was smiling. "Logan! Glad to see you." Colossus said with joy as Logan stepped out of the room and examined Superman momentarily, then he retracted his claws and took a relaxed stance; Superman also became more relaxed, but watched Logan closely. Colossus looked past Logan to see that Scarlet Witch and Mystique were both lying unconscious on the ground."Good to see you've been keeping busy." Colossus said as Logan shifted restlessly by him, muttering something under his breath as he past him; when Logan came into the center of the hallway he began to sniff feverishly at the air around him.

"Magneto's been this way... along with Pietro...and someone I don't recognize. He's gone into Cerebro." Logan said with a growl as he stared down the corridor to the circular door. Superman came up beside Logan; when he did Logan took a long sniff of the air. "You've got a weird smell on yah bub. Try to keep yer distance from me. Got it." Logan said in an aggravated tone as he began to make his way down the hallway. Superman cast Logan a confused look as Colossus came up beside him.

"What's his problem?" Superman asked in an agitated voice as Colossus began to laugh lightly. Superman looked over to him confused as Colossus smiled.

"What can I tell you? He is Canadian." Colossus said with a smile as the two began to follow Logan down the corridor. As they made their way down towards the large circular door at the end of hallway, began to open. The mechanical plating, which were covered by the large embedded 'X' shifted away to reveal a man in a strange red armor, the man wore a helmet on his head which covered most of his face. On one side was a slim man with striking silver hair, and on the other side was a man in bulky black armor. The three men exited the room and came into the hallway; and hovering above their heads was an unconscious Charles Xavier, who sat in his wheel-chair as it floated precariously in the air. "Professor!" Colossus called in a horrified worry as Logan shouted out in an angry growl, and began to charge at Magneto, extending his claws as he did. Magneto lifted his hand into the air and Logan stopped in his place, his feet lifting off the ground as the claws that extended from his hands began to twist slightly. Logan shouted out in pain as the metal protrusions of his exoskeleton were warped by the Master of Magnetism.

Magneto laughed slightly, "You will never learn, will you?" Magneto said in a mocking voice as Logan began to soar back the way he had come, barreling through the air at an incredible speed. Superman grabbed hold of Colossus and pushed him to the side to avoid being hit by Logan as he came shooting past them. As Superman and Colossus got to the feet, Superman looked down the hallway towards Magneto, who looked to the men at either side of him. "Quicksilver, Avalanche; behold, the Superman." Magneto said in a low voice which held a kind of mixed English and German accent. Superman began to walk towards Magneto, Colossus following close behind.

"I guess he watches the news." Superman said with a slight smile as his mind wandered back to what Peter must be doing, and if he might need some help...

"Pardon me?" Colossus said in a worried voice. "Nothing, never mind." Suprman said as he brought his attention back to the moment.

"Pfft, he doesn't look so tough." Avalanche said in an agitated voice as Superman took several steps closer to the trio of mutants who had Xavier as their prisoner.

"You know who I am." Superman called out in a strong voice. "And you know what I'm capable of. I'll give you once chance to put the Professor down and leave without a fight." Avalanche began to laugh mockingly at Supermans threat; yet Magneto and Pietro both stood where they were, stone faced and unmoving.

"I have no intention of doing as you ask Superman. Instead I will give you a counter offer." Magneto said in an arrogant voice as the chair which Xavier sat in began to float down the ground. "And you're right," Magneto continued; "I do know who you are. And I also know that you have little knowledge of what is going on here." Magneto said as Superman cast him a disapproving glare.

"I know a kidnapping when I see it." Superman said in a strong defiant voice voice. Looking down at Magneto with a disapproving gaze. Magneto seemed to grow angry under Supermans glare.

"We are the Mutant BrotherHood. We fight to make the world a better place for mutants." Supermans glare did not waver.

"Only for mutants? That's rather selfish wouldn't you say?" Superman said as he crossed his arms and continued his gaze, seeing the contortion of anger go across Magnetos face before he continued.

"That is the way of things. Were it the other way around, the Human race would do just as we do. They would fight for an equal place in the world... As I said Superman, you know little of what has gone on here; I implore you to hear me out." Magneto said, his anger dissipating as he hid it behind a comforting tone.

"Why the hell are we wasting time with this freak?" Avalanche said with impatience as he approached Superman. "Let me handle this E.T wannabe. You wanna dance freak-o?" Avalanche said angrily as he pulled as fist back. In an instance Avalanche was pinned up against the wall with the wind knocked out of him, Superman holding him tightly by the main chest piece of his armor, gripping it hard enough to crack his outer layer of armor.

Avalanche could see the anger in Supermans face as he held him there, yet Avalanche felt a surge of hate go through him as well. "You be as quiet as possible from now on." Superman said with a threatening tone. Avalanche began to nod his head, a look of fear etched into his eyes as Superman tossed Avalanche to the ground at Magnetos feet; Avalanche looked up to see a look of disgust in Magnetos eyes, he quickly got up and took his place by Magnetos side. There was a short silence in the room before Magneto continued.

"I do not consider this wasted time Superman; please, allow me to help you make an informed decision" Superman said nothing as Magneto continued. "We have been persecuted; enslaved, branded, tested on, and executed; all for being what nature made us into." Supermans face took a more sympathetic look as he remembered how Scott Summers had attacked General Fury because what he said happened during something called the MRA. "We have been the subject of every torture known to man for little reason other than we are different; and they fear us for it. I wont lie that there have been instances throughout history where a mutants ability has turned...deadly to those around them; but we deserve more than humanity is prepared to offer. You are not of this world; it's politics have nothing to do with you. Yet you have taken it upon yourself to enforce the laws of man. I ask you help with the rise of a new order; the Mutant order." Superman took a step back.

"I'm sorry about the state of things for mutants in this world; but what you're doing isn't justified by your ideals." Superman said with a strong tone of compassion, to which Magneto laughed lightly.

"It is. The 'X-Men' have impeded my work for long enough. What if there were more than one of you on your home? What if there were thousands? Do you not think that they would have to fight for their rightful place? Do you think that they would not be feared and hated by mankind simply for what they are? And if they were and you continued to protect them would they not resent you?" There was a short silence as Superman took in what Magneto was saying to him "On your planet they may tolerate one of you, but they'd never put up with a whole race of you. They'd exterminate you just like they've tried to do to us countless times over the centuries." Superman took a firm stance, clenching his fist as he thought about how much he had wanted to not be the last. That there was more of Krypton left than just the House of El.

"That wouldn't happen. There would be a better way; there's always a better way." Superman said lightly as he looked up towards Magneto and with a defiant, loud voice, he continued. "You may feel that you can justify what your doing; but I will stop you." Magneto sighed in disappointment as Superman took a firm stance.

"That is exactly what Charles once said to me." Magneto said as he lifted his hand and pointed towards Superman. "A pity; you would have made a valuable ally." Superman got into a ready stance; he wasn't sure what to expect; suddenly he heard Colossus let out a grunt; and as Superman turned to see what had happened he was struck from behind from Colossus. Who had been hit by Logan, who was unconscious and being used as cannon ball by Magneto. The three crashed into the metal wall, breaking it to pieces with the combined weight of all three men. Magneto turned to Avalanche with an air of superiority and spoke in an arrogant tone; "That is how you handle someone like Superman." Xaviers chair began to follow the three Mutants as they continued to walk down the hallway, but they didn't get far before they heard the sound of metal bending and being tossed about.

The three turned around to see that both Colossus and Logan were unconscious, yet Superman was standing tall, an angry look on his face as he stared down the three Mutants. "I don't handle easy." Superman said with a tone of anger as he began to float towards the three. "So, who gets the first concussion?" Superman said with an angry grin as he clenched his fists. .

Day 1 / Part 5 9:15 PM

Magneto eyed Superman down as he floated towards the three Mutants. Though the Master of Magnetism would never dare admit it; in this moment he was afraid. Before Magneto could react, Avalanche stepped forward; his anger no longer held back by Magneto. "How about you get the first one freak?" He shouted as he lifted his hand from his side and held his palms facing upward.

The ground began to shake as Superman looked at Avalanches palm and looked up to see what he was doing. Superman initiated his X-ray vision but could not see anything; and before he knew what hit him the metal floor beneath him tore open as a large platform of solid ground came slamming up into him; wedging him between the stone and the ceiling. Avalanche laughed with pride as he turned to Magneto and Quicksilver. "See! Told you I could handle him." Avalanche said with a smug grin on his face.

There was the sound of earth crumbling; and before Avalanche could turn his head, he felt a strong grip around his neck before he felt his back slam against the solid metal wall; causing his eyes to shut tight from the pain. As Avalanche opened his eyes he saw the burning red eyes of the Man of Steel as he held Avalanche by his throat. "I think you just volunteered." Superman said lightly as a grin formed along his face. Superman gripped hold of Avalanches head with his free hand and lightly tapped the mans helmet against the metal wall.

Superman released his grip, causing Avalanche to fall to the ground with a thud. Supermans eye's returned to their normal bright blue as he began to examine Avalanches internals...and there was the concussion. The grin along Supermans face widened as he turned towards the remaining two. "I don't need to tell you how pointless this is. Return the Professor and get out of here." Superman shouted as he picked up Avalanche and lightly tossed him over to Magnetos feet.

Magneto looked over Avalanche; anger swelling in him as his gaze returned to Superman. "Pietro..." Magneto called out, looking over to his silver haired son. "Let's take him outside." Magneto said as Pietro looked up to Superman with a look of held back fear; yet the boy seemed to shake it off, and then began running towards Superman at an incredible speed. The boy was behind him; and as Superman went to react Quicksilver began to spin his hands around in circles at amazingly fast speeds; creating a small jet of air which began to push Superman violently, yet the Man of Steel held his footing and began to stare down the young man, who looked back to Superman with a look of perplexed terror. Then suddenly Superman felt metal straps wrap around his arms and legs; the metals tugged at him with a supernatural strength and pulled him up to the ceiling; pinning him up above them. As Superman gave one quick tug on his arm, snapping the metal strap; there were several other large straps of metal that began to hover underneath him; he looked over to Magneto, who held his out out with a sinister look upon his face, saying "Goodbye Superman." The metal straps launched towards Superman and dug in around his waist, catching him and pulling him up through the solid metal ceiling and through the ground that it was burried under. As Superman tore through the earth that he was hidden beneath; he began to feel more pieces of metal strip around his body, being pulled out from the earth around him, and they clinged to Superman and began to pull him up through the ground.

Superman exploded out of the grounds in front of Xavier Mansion; debris and bits of metal falling down around him as he fell back to the ground with a large crash. He lifted himself up and began to rip off bits of metal the still clung to his body; casting them aside as he stood up and examined the ground he had just been sent through. The tunnel had collapsed upon itself, meaning that Magneto wouldn't be able to get out that way; all Superman had to do was go and head them off at the elevator. Then suddenly Superman could hear the sounds of shouting before a bright red beam filled the sky above Xavier Mansion. Superman took off instantly in the direction the sounds were coming from; if other students were in trouble he had to help them first; and he had a feeling he might need some help incase more of Magnetos mutants showed up.

As Superman came rearing into the back of the mansion he saw a horrifying site: there was a young woman with jet black hair, which had a white stripe in one of her bangs, her face was pale and she lay on the floor writhing in pain; holding her head by either side to ensure that the intense blasts emanating from her eyes did not hurt her companions; one of her hands was covered in a glove, while the other was bare. Beside her lay someone Superman recognized, Scott Summers, who had accompanied Xavier the first time they had met. Standing several yards away from them was a large and powerful brute of a man; he wore a strange orange helmet on his head which attached to a strange device wrapped around his neck and under his shoulders which held his helmet tight in place. This Juggernaut of a man held an unconscious man with a strange blue face and a tail. Superman could tell that the three who were not doing so well were students of Xaviers by the embroidered 'X' on all of their uniforms.

The large man turned to face Superman with a large grin on his mouth, and an evil glare in his eyes, which were the only parts of his face visible under his helmet. "Looks like you got here just in time to watch. Maybe you'll learn a few things." Juggernaut said as he laughed and planted the unconscious Nightcrawler into the ground; raising his fist above his head ready to pound the young man int oblivion. "Doesn't matter what colour you are, they all go 'smoosh' in the end."

((As you can see I have added more content! Yay for updates! I felt that since its been a while since my last chapter I would just throw what I've done into the revised chapter. Wanted to let you all know that yes, October was busy, but I'm hoping that I will be able to get the next chapter out on sooner than later.))

(I had a little trouble determining which X-Men would appear in this chapter, but dont worry, more of them will show up before day 1 is over.)


	4. The Brotherhood of Mutants

(Now, I know it's been a WHILE since my last update to this story, and a year is quite a while; but there's been a lot going on! This story has never been far from my mind, and I am only continuing to think of where the story is going. If you have checked my Profile page recently you might have noticed that I stated that I had decided to change the direction that this story will take in terms of it's End Game; and in terms of the types of villains I will be pitting Superman against while he is the Marvel U, whereas before I had said I will be pitting him against the 'heaviest and deadliest' enemies Marvel has to offer, I will be changing my approach to give more than Superman in one slug-fest after another. I have taken into consideration many of the reviews that I have received and over the last year have been educating myself more on my Marvel characters {specifically the X-Men since I was quite mistaken about Quicksilvers top speed; though I've gone back now and reworked it completely} and have come up with what I hope will be a good interpretation for these characters that keeps true to their power-sets. Now while I did just say that the direction is changing, the story will still follow the same plot layout I have been working on since finishing The Marvelous Adventure, so all of the other stories I already announced are still on the To-Do list; this new direction will only give me more things to write :p)

- Also want to give thanks to Quathis; who was completely right when saying that only one person should be speaking in every paragraph. Thank you very much (though now I'm editing all my old stories in that format...yay for more work lol)

- So, now that I've got you a little caught up on what's going on, go ahead and Dig in :)

Chapter 4:

**Day 1/ Part 6 9:19 PM**

Juggernaut threw his hand into the ground with enough force to turn the young man he held to jelly as Superman watched in horror. There was a snapping sound from behind Superman; he turned quickly to the sight of trailing black smoke leading down to the Nightcrawler as he collapsed onto the ground. Superman quickly turned back to the sight of Juggernaut, who looked around confused as Nightcrawler was no longer in his grasp; looking over to Superman and seeing the X-man on the ground he began to charge towards him.

"No one gets between me and my prey." Juggernaut shouted as he stampeded towards Superman, who stood his ground; acting as the sole protector to the mutant that lay several feet away from him. Juggernaut crashed his helmet into Supermans chest, pushing Superman off his spot and knocking the wind out of him. Superman felt his back hit the ground, gasping for air; and not long after the foot of Juggernaut came crashing down into his chest, planting him into the ground. Juggernaut began to walk off Superman and towards the unconscious Nightcrawler.

Juggernaut was suddenly struck from behind by a power optic blast; he turned around to see that Rogue had Cyclops' visor on; while Cyclops still lay not far from her. Juggernaut began to charge towards Rouge, yet she stood tall; her long black hair tucked behind the visor on her face as he reached up to the side of it with her index finger and readied herself. As Juggernaut charged, a high intensity heat blast erupted from Supermans eyes and into his chest, which sent him tumbling into a nearby tree-line.

Superman rose from his spot buried in the ground, brushing off several pieces of rock that had become tucked into the neck of his cape. Superman looked over to Rogue as she rushed over to him, looking over at Nightcrawler laying several yards away. "Don't touch him!" Rouge called out to Superman in an urgent tone.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help." Superman said in a pleading manner. Rogue walked closer to Superman with a slight grin on her face as he head began to bob up and down; Superman began to blush; was she checking him out?

"You got me wrong stranger. I mean that if you touch him, he'll just teleport someplace else." Rogue spoke with a slight southern accent, she cocked her hip and rested her hand on it before needlessly brushing her hair around her visor. "The Professor planted a mental suggestion in his noggin' a while back to keep him from being captured; and Kurt said he wanted to keep it." As Rogue finished speaking there was a loud shout the came from the treeline as Juggernaut came barreling towards the two. "Let's save the flirtin' for later sugar; we have to deal with the big guy."

"Leave it to me, stand back a safe distance." Superman said sternly as he began to walk slowly towards the giant of a man as he charged closer and closer. Rogue took several steps back as Juggernaut brought his hand around and prepared an attack on Superman; as the punch reared towards him, Superman ducked out of its path and grabbed hold of Juggernauts forearm, swinging him around his head and into the ground beneath him. As dust and pieces of rock rained down around him as Superman floated above the newly formed crater in the Earth, Superman used his X-Ray vision and found that the man was buried twenty feet beneath the ground. Superman spun around to see Rogue watching with her mouth hanging open.

"Woah; 'aint ever seen anyone do that to ol' Juggs with three move or less. You've gotta be that guy the news's been going on about; you're Superman." Rogue said as a bright smile brimmed across Supermans face.

"Yes. Though I'm more interested in that man I just fought." Superman said as his feet touched down on the ground. "Who is he? And how is it that he was able to knock the wind out of me with one hit? He's big, sure; but he's not that big." Superman said with an uneasy tension in his voice as he looked over to the crater in the ground.

"His name is Cain Marko; though when he's got that helmet on we call him Juggernaut." Rogue said as she approached Nightcrawler and knelt down beside him. "His magic helmet gives him the power of the demon Cyttorak; I've seen that guy use a tank to swat helicopters away." _Magic_! Superman thought to himself, that explained why the Juggernaut was able to hurt him. "Cain can be alright sometimes, even has a bit of a heart on him for such a big guy; but once that helmet takes over there a'int nothin' that can stop him. Hell, he don't even need to eat or breathe with it on." Rogue said squeamishly as the rubble surrounding the crater that contained Juggernaut began to shift.

"Go, I'll do what I can do hold him off. Get your friends to safety." Superman said strongly as he turned away from Rogue; facing the giant of a man as he burst through the dirt ground with a shout of rage. Rogue wasted no time in turning on her spot and darting towards the unconscious Nightcrawler; she jumped towards him with her exposed hand, and when her skin touched his they both disappeared in a plumb of black smoke.

"You'll pay for that maggot!" Juggernaut shouted as he eyed Superman down, brushing off several pieces of rock from the grooves in his outfit; a loud shout escaped Juggernaut as he began to charge towards the steadfast Superman as he stared down the charging behemoth. He had to find a way to put this guy down for the count; and although Superman hated to pit himself against magically enhanced enemies, he had to put his raw might to the test against the Demon Cyttorak. Superman took off from the place on the ground and began to fly towards the Juggernaut at a high speed extending his arms in front of him with his fists clenched; Juggernaut lowered his head in preparation, stiffing out his neck as he did. The two collided with such force that the ground beneath them quaked and cratered; every window in Xavier Mansion was shattered as a result of the blow.

Superman fell backwards to the ground, his hands trembling with pain as the Juggernaut still stood, a taunting laugh bellowing out of him. As Superman watched his hands shake from the pain he felt, there was a sudden boot that collided with his side, sending him tumbling several yards away. Juggernaut continued to laugh as Superman began to lift himself to his feet, anger swelling behind his eyes as the Juggernaut looked at him with contempt; spitting to his side before beginning to charge towards Superman again. Supermans mind began to race through the entire fight he'd had with Juggernaut. He wasn't able to match Juggernauts magically enhanced strength, but he was able to move around him; there had to be some way of ending this without killing him.

_Hell, he don't even need to eat or breathe with it on._ Rogue's words echoed in Supermans mind as a grin began to form along his lips; as the Juggernaut closed in on Superman he quickly moved to the Juggernauts side and grabbed hold of his arm with all his might. Superman spun himself around several times, feeling his momentum build with each swing before he sent the Juggernaut soaring into the air at Mach 3; Superman watched as Juggernaut exited the lower regions of the atmosphere, a distant shout growing silent as the air was sucked from the Juggernauts lungs.

"Well that wasn't so bad." Superman said under his breath as he dusted his hands off on each other; knowing that he did not have the time to stand around, he took off from his place and back towards the Mansion; his ears filling with the sound of a low growl as the front door to the Mansion burst open from the inside as Wolverine came soaring through the air, planting into the ground with violent force as a grunt of pain escaped him. Supermans eyes went from Wolverine's place on the ground, to the door that he had just burst through, to see the sight of Magneto, beside him was a woman with long brown hair and a sleek red outfit with a strange head dress; floating behind them in his wheelchair was Charles Xavier, still unconscious as the trio exited the doors of the Mansion. Superman moved quickly to where Logan lay on the ground, recovering himself slowly as his claws shimmered in the moonlight; he rose to his feet as a scar along his face began to heal itself.

"We can do this all day Erik; but you know you can't keep me down. Give Chuck back, I won't ask again." Wolverine said strongly, though behind his tough exterior he knew that his threat was empty to the ears of his enemy. Suddenly Logan felt his arms moving against his will, the familiar pull of Magneto's power; Wolverine's right hand came thrusting towards Superman. Superman was able to catch Wolverine's forearm as the razor sharp blades came within centimeters of his belly.

"You have to fight him." Superman said softly as he fought against the pull of Magneto's influence on Wolverines body; which seemed to be a greater force than Wolverine could generate on his own.

"I...can't..."Wolverine said in a low growl as his other hand came down towards Supermans head. Superman reacted by instinctively putting his arm up over him as Wolverines claws clashed against his Kryptonian fabric; Wolverine's claws were violently pulled down in a cutting motion as Superman released his grip on Logans forearm and took a step back. "I can't fight his power. You have to..." Logans jaw was instantly slammed shut, his teeth cutting the tip his tongue as it flew from his mouth and past Supermans face. A pain stricken look came over Logans face as his mouth began to pool with blood; Superman watched in horror at what had just happened; he looked back to Magneto, who held his hand stretched out with a sinister grin across his face, his helmet casting a shadow over his eyes.

Wolverine jumped at Superman with both of his arms held out in front of him, ready to dig his claws into Supermans chest, yet Supermans hands came up and gripped at both of Logans forearms. A look of mixed shock and pain was imbedded in Wolverine's eyes as his arms pushed against Supermans grip, skin being torn and stretched as Logans arms pushed with an unnatural power. Wolverine spat out a fountain of blood and let his mouth hang open; inside his mouth Superman was surprised to see that his tongue looked as if nothing had happened to it. As Logan looked up to Superman, Magneto's powers shut his jaw closed again; through clenched teeth Superman heard Logan growl, "Get rid of me. I can take it." A look of worry danced across Supermans face before being replaced by a stern, serious look as he nodded his head. Supermans foot lifted off the ground and collided with Wolverine's chest, sending the man soaring towards Magneto at an incredible speed.

Xaviers wheelchair began to drop as Magneto focused all of his energy to deflect the incoming projectile; yet even using all his might Magneto was only able to curb Wolverine's trajectory as he came barreling in between Magneto and the Scarlet Witch, knocking both of them to the wheelchair began to hover again just before it slammed into the ground as Magneto reached his hand out behind and caught it with his power. Wall after wall crumbled as Logan smashed through several rooms before breaking through the wall of the garage, and into the side of Scott Summers prized 1977 Thunderbird; which had only recently been fully restored.

Scarlet Witch and Magneto exchanged looks of amazement as they both looked back to Superman, who was examining the spot on his arm that Wolverine had taken a slash at him; noticing that one of the fibers on his uniform was frayed slightly. "Wow, that's a tough metal." Superman said lightly under his breath as he returned his attention to the pair of Mutants that were staring at him. "I've had enough of this; both of you need to stop this now before anyone else gets hurt." Supermans voice echoed through the grounds as he stood strong; the two Mutants regaining their composure as they got to their feet. An astonished look came over Magneto's face as he spoke to Superman in a voice of admiration.

"Your powers are more impressive in person than a news report could ever do justice." A wide grin cut across Magneto's lips as the Scarlet Witch looked towards him with a curious look. "There is much that we could accomplish together; you should reconsider my offer Superman." Magneto spoke with a loud voice, trying to hide the sound of the metal bars of the gate being peeled off by Magneto's power, which he did with surgical precision; though the sound could not be hidden from Supermans hearing. An irritated look came over Supermans face as he began to approach the pair of Mutants at a brisk pace; making the ground quake slightly under his boot with each step he took. Magneto wasted no time as Superman began to draw closer to them; launching the metal poles with spiked tips towards the Man of Steel, whose eyes flashed red before he spun around with graceful speed and sent a wide-spread heat-vision blast towards the poles. Globs of melted metal flew past Superman and landed in heaps on the ground as he turned back to Magneto, the look of irritation transforming into a mocking grin.

_Meanwhile; atop of a building somewhere on Manhattan Island._

"Ouch!" Spiderman shouted as a spear that Kraven had at his grazed his belly, slicing his uniform open and leaving a small cut along his stomach. "Oh great! Do you know annoying it is to sew up a uniform like this? If I don't do it right then the webbing will look all wonky!" Spiderman shouted in annoyance as he held out the cut part of his uniform and examined the tear. "I swear Kravey if I have to make another outfit because of this, I will not be happy." Spidey said as he pointed a finger towards Kraven and wagged it back and forth; as if he were scolding a child.

Kraven's hand slid over the hilt of his sword and he drew it back out of its sheath; all of his henchmen were scattered about and unconscious behind him. "You may bicker all you wish Spiderman, I will take your head tonight." Kraven bound towards Spiderman with his machete drawn back, ready to strike. Yet as Kraven drew closer Spiderman simply jumped up and over Kraven, doing several front flips before landing close to the ledge of the building. A sense of warning ran through Spiderman as his spider-sense warned him of impending doom; he looked behind him to see that Kraven had thrown seven small daggers towards him. The daggers were spaced out enough that Spiderman was able to leap through them with ease, yet as he did his jump had placed him beyond the ledge of the building; Spidey sent a quick webline towards the side of the building and tugged himself lightly back towards the building. His spider-sense went wild again as he looked over to see Kravens machete spiraling through the air and towards him; he pulled down quickly on his webline causing his trajectory to alter, saving him from certain decapitation.

Spidey wasn''t sure if it was because his spidey-sense was going nuts since that shared head-ache everyone in New York had experienced, but for some reason Spidey thought he could maybe have a spidey-sense overload as Kravens foot collided with the side of his head. His whole body went limp as he felt his web-line snag; Spidermans right arm was pulled violently behind him as began to spin several times in the air before his chest collided with the rooftop, knocking the wind out of him. Kraven laughter hung in the air as Spiderman tried to prop himself up on his elbows; but Spidermans right arm seemed to be stuck in place. He looked back to see that his arm was tied behind his back with his own webbing! He struggled against the strain of the webbing, but it was no use; he was still using the new improved design he had engineered with Reed Richards, and the Rhino wasn't even able to tear through it. Kravens laughter brought Spiderman back into the moment as the hunter approached; kicking up a discarded spear into his hand as he walked. "Ha ha ha; this has proven to be quite amusing Spiderman. Though I prefer my game not to be roped to a single place." Kraven used the spear to cut through Spidermans web-line, leaving Spidermans arm bound, but unleashing him from being constrained by the line. "Come Spiderman! Show me you are worthy of hanging as my prize trophy!" Kraven said proudly as he readied his spear

Now, most people would be fearful in this incident; not to say that your friendly neighborhood Spiderman wasn't terrified of being skewered alive; but Spiderman thoughts were at a strangely different place.

_"This isn't Spidermans fault! That's right kids, if I were just Spiderman then I'd have already won by now. This is Parkers fault; him and his damn luck... that's what caused this. Damn you Peter Parker, you handsome devil you."_

...

As Superman began to approach Magneto and the Scarlet Witch at a steady pace, there was a poof of black mist around Professor Xaviers wheelchair followed by a second poof of smoke, and the Professor was gone from his wheelchair. Twenty yards away, behind the corner of the Mansion, Rogue held up the unconscious Charles Xavier. "Knew I had enough left to get you outta there Chuck." Rogue said as she examined the Professor to make sure he was not injured; as her hand slid down his side to make sure his ribs weren't injured, she felt Xaviers hand grip tightly at her wrist. Rogue almost jumped back from how startled she was, and when she looked up to Xaviers face there was a grin across it as his foot swung around and collided with the side of Rogue's head, knocking Cyclops's visor from her face as the foot connected.

Xavier stood up to his feet and kicked Rogue over onto her back; Xaviers facial features began to shift, a dark blue pigment running through his skin as his form began to take on a more feminine physique. Soon the slender long long legs of Mystique replaced what were left of her disguise as she reached her hand up to her ear and activated a small communication device. "Pietro; the trap is sprung, you're up." Mystique's light voice echoed through the communications device as Pietro held the real unconscious Charles Xavier in his arms, still waiting just outside of the elevator that accessed Cerebro.

In a streak of silver, Pietro burst through the main entrance and zoomed past Magneto and his sister; catching a glimpse of Superman as he sped by him. Pietro's eyes widened in terror as he watched Superman's head turn to follow them as he went, their eye's meeting as Pietro ran as fast as he could; a grin cutting along the Man of Steels face as he watched Quicksilver run by him. Superman looked back to Magneto with a wide smile; who looked back to him with a look of confusion. Magneto blinked, and in that moment Superman had flown streaking after Quicksilver.

It didn't take long for Superman to catch up, especially at a higher elevation; he could see Pietro as he dodged in between trees, zigging one way to another to try and throw off his pursuer. Superman was impressed with the speed that Quicksilver was demonstrating; but it wasn't fast enough. Putting on a quick burst of speed, Superman took off into a downward arch towards Quicksilver; flying as low to the ground as he possibly could. As he neared in on Pietro, Superman reached out hit hand and grabbed hold of Quicksilvers ankle, causing the speedster to trip. Professor Xavier flew out of Pietro's hand as Superman sped around and caught Xavier in mid air.

Pietro hit the ground and bounced several times before slamming into the side of a large birch tree; for a moment after his collision Pietro seemed to struggle about on the ground, but he quickly gave into the pain and fell unconscious as his head rested upon the ground. Superman looked from Pietro, to the Professor that he cradled in his arms; he had to go back and confront Magneto, but he couldn't just take Xavier back with him in his current state...

...

Mystique approached Magneto and Scarlet Witch as she exited the tree-line and looked past to the spot Superman had been moments before. "He is impressive. Was your silver tongue not sharp enough to sway him Erik?" Mystique said in a mocking voice as Magneto's eyes locked with hers, a look of annoyance covering his face.

"Don't forget your place 'Raven'. Remember that once Charles is secure and the X-Men are off our trail, our arrangement will be completed. You will be released from your debt to me." Magneto said as he and Scarlet Witch began to walk past Mystique and towards the exit to the grounds. As the trio of Mutants approached the gate they heard the distinct sound of rushing wind; they turned to the sight of Superman floating in the air, Pietro tucked under one of his arms.

"You guys had all your bases covered. I couldn't even see through that disguise your friend had on." Superman began to float to the ground, as his feet touched down Superman tossed Quicksilver towards Magneto's feet, Magneto could see the scratches and bruises all across his sons face.

"Butcher! What have you done to him?" Magneto shouted as he reached down and cradled his son to his chest. "What have you done to my son?" Magneto demanded as he looked up to Superman with a look of intense rage and hatred in his eyes.

"He tripped." Superman said in a dull voice as he looked from Magneto to the other two. "This has gone on long enough. The Professor is safe where you can't get to him, you've failed. Surrender yourselves now and no one else has to get hurt." Magneto's eyes never wavered from their look of anger, and as he looked over to Scarlet Witch, he said two words in a voice that startled even Superman.

"Do it." Magneto's voice was low, deep and filled with an abundance of rage; Scarlet Witch nodded to her father and looked towards Superman, the look in her eyes mirroring the one her father had. She clenched her fists and pointed her hand towards Superman, as she did a strange red energy began to form around her fists. A bolt of the red energy launched towards Superman and collided with his chest, almost whipping him into the ground.

A look of bewilderment was upon Supermans face as he rose from his spot, staring down the Scarlet Witch as he began to hover lightly in the air. Whatever power she was had was able to not only overpower him, but it kind of hurt. An uneasy look was returned by the Scarlet Witch as the two stared each other down; she knew that in every right she was outmatched, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. Her fists began to billow with the strange red energy again as Scarlet Witch took a ready stance, Superman in turn readied himself to dodge any kind of projectile she might send his way. Yet she did not lash out at him, instead her hands swirled around in the air for a moment before a circle of the same red energy began to form around Superman; which quickly began to enclose him in a small ball. Superman looked at the wall of energy in front of him with amazement, he had never seen anything quite like this; it was a shame these people used their powers for their own personal gain.

Supermans fists reared back as he readied to strike, Scarlet witch intensifying her concentration as he did. The fists collided with the barrier with enough force that the whole sphere of energy began to fluctuate; her concentration began to struggle against the kinetic energy being resonated through the sphere. Taking notice of Scarlet Witches struggle, Superman pounded into the sphere with his fists again, with greater force than he had the last time. Scarlet Witches eyes clenched shut as she fought against the strain of the kinetic energy; reacting purely on instinct she was able to expand an outer shell to the sphere, and soon the ball of energy was safely trapped within another one. Scarlet Witch released her concentration on fighting the kinetic energy and the inner sphere burst apart; Superman caught in the midst of the swirling red energy as it began to violently tear all around him.

Strange sensations ran through Superman as he was tossed about in the strange energy storm that now brewed and swirled all around him. He felt as if his skin was being frozen, yet his inside felt like it were on fire. He opened his eyes and could see nothing through the thick red energy that enveloped him, A shout of pain escaped Supermans lungs as a spark of the energy danced up his spine, he could hear his own shout resonate in his ears, almost as if the energy were shouting back at him; yet through the echoing he heard a voice, familiar and distant, yet almost shouting back at him. _"Clark?" _Superman began to open his eyes with great burden, he wanted so bad to believe he had heard the voice he thought he had; yet even as his vision shifted through the different spectrum's he could see nothing but the consuming red energy. The voice came again, this time clear as day. _"Clark, it's Bruce! If you can hear me say something!"_

...

Magneto still held his unconscious son in his arms as he and Mystique watched the display of energy within the sphere, Magneto noticed that he could not even see a silhouette of Superman; the man was completely immersed in his daughters reality warping power. There were several strange sparks within the sphere as Scarlet Witch struggled to maintain the intensity of it; her knees began to shake under the strain as she fell them. " Somethings wrong. I... I can't hold it." She said weakly as the energy surrounding her hands dissipated, and her arms fell to her side. The sphere did not hold for longer than three seconds before the energy contained within it burst out with a small shock-wave in its wake, sending Superman soaring out and smashing through one of the walls of Xavier Mansion.

Placing Pietro down next to her, Magneto knelt beside his daughter, "You've done well my dear Wanda. Are you well enough to get us home? We've done all that we can here." He asked as Wanda looked up to him with a look of conviction, yet a strained and tired look in her eyes and said in a strong voice, "Yes, I'm fine."

A look of pride crawled over Magneto's face as Mystique approached. Wanda put her hands into the air as the red energy began to cover them; soon a small red energy platform appeared glowing below them. The energy began to surround them as the platform seemed to expand upwards and consume them; once they were fully immersed the bottom of the energy began to pull itself into the top section until the energy seemed to disappear into itself; taking the Brotherhood with them.

The rubble of the Mansion shifted off of Superman as he pulled himself from the debris, quickly making his way back outside only to find that Magneto and the others were gone; even using his enhanced senses he wasn't able to find a trace of them. Looking back to the Mansion he couldn't help but feel a small pang of guilt for the damage it had sustained during his fight with the Brotherhood. From behind him Superman heard a familiar female voice call out to him; he turned to see Storm was approaching with Cyclops held firmly under her shoulder, his hand brought up to his eyes and he struggled to walk beside Storm. "Where's the Professor?" Cyclops called out in a worried voice as Storm looked up at Superman with a worried look; in a blur of red Superman disappeared into the tree-line, only to reappear moments later with Charles Xavier unconscious in his arms.

"I checked him over, physically he's perfectly fine. I don't know what could be causing his state." Superman said as he placed Xavier lightly on the ground, As he looked up to Cyclops, he took notice of how Cyclops was struggling to keep his eyes closed. "I met a young woman who was wearing the same visor you had on. Do you need me to help find her?" Superman asked with compassion in his voice as Storm nodded her head.

"We would greatly appreciate that." Storm said lightly as she smiled towards Superman brightly. A quick sweep of the area with his X-ray vision was able to find Rogue as she lay unconscious on the ground; with another blur of speed Superman returned with Rogue in his arms, and Cyclops' visor in his hand. Superman handed the visor to Storm before placing Rogue beside Xavier on the ground; Cyclops took his visor and placed it across his eyes as a red light activated along the eye-slot.

"Thanks." Cyclops said hastily as he eyed Superman down. "Don't know if you remember me, but I was with the Professor when you two met." Cyclops said as he looked down to the Professor as he lay on the ground.

"I remember." Cyclops walked past Superman as he spoke, kneeling down beside Xavier. "There are more of your team that are scattered about; I can help you with them." Cyclops looked back to Superman; it was hard for Clark to read his facial expressions.

"Thank you, but we can handle things from here." There was a strong demenour to the way Cyclops spoke, there was sincerity in his voice; yet he almost sounded as if he didn't trust Superman. "It's not that we wouldn't like the help, it's just with you here the satellites are bound to be snapping pictures; the less the press has to get their hands on to use for fear mongering, the better." There was a light smile that perched over Cyclops' face as he lifted the Professor up into his arms, raising to his feet as he turned back to Superman.

"You worry about the news too much Summers." The grizzly voice of Wolverine echoed through the air as he exited the Mansion through one of the giant holes. "I take it the Brotherhood is gone, otherwise we wouldn't be standing around trying to make small talk." Logan said dully as he approached the group.

"They're gone. Want to make yourself useful and help bring Rogue to the Infirmary." Cyclops spoke with a tinge of irritation in his voice as he walked past Logan, looking at him with a scowl as he walked by.

"Sure thing boyscout." Superman grinned to himself as he thought about how Bruce would call him the same thing; moving at a brisk pace Wolverine picked up Rogue and began to follow Cyclops; looking over his shoulder as he passed Superman he said half laughing, "Don't mind him. He's always got that stick up his ass."

"That's only because you piss me off Logan." The mocking voice of Cyclops called back to them as he walked; Logan cast him an irritated look as he began to laugh to himself.

"Your '77 Thunderbird is trashed." Logan called out still laughing; Superman could hear Cyclops swear under his breath as he entered the Mansion. A light chuckled escaped Storm as she turned to Superman.

"As much as I hate to dismiss your offer, Scott was right. You being here will draw too much attention from too many people." Storms voice had an almost pleading tone to it, Superman knew that it would be better for them if he left.

"It's alright, I wouldn't want to go causing you all more trouble than you've already been through. If you need me for anything you can get in touch with me through the Avengers; Spiderman is an agent of theirs so he can relay a message to me." He began to float into the air as Storm looked back to him with smile, gratefulness booming through her face as Superman turned on his spot and began to soar away from Xavier Mansion.

**Day 1 /Part 6 9:45 PM**

((Want to point out a few things, firstly is that this version of Rogue never absorbed Ms. Marvels power. Also that in this version of the X-men that Jean has already become the Phoenix and died; I thought it was worth mentioning since I didn't get to cover it in the story.

You may have noticed that something weird happened with Scarlet Witch and her energy sphere; for more info on that keep your eyes open for a new story I'll be writing which will tie into this continuity which will be called "The Search for Superman". The story will focus on several DC characters as they try to find out what happened to Superman and Lex. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I tried not to make it into a big slug fest, and once I felt that's where it was heading I tried to end it with a bang; hope you enjoyed :) Oh and expect to see the Final Part to Day 1 next chapter! Including Kraven vs Spiderman; will Spidey get home in time to watch CSI? Find out next time! ))


	5. Overture Cut the Lights

((So, one thing I want to point out about this chapter first is that it is primarily a filler piece. Don't expect to see too much action and excitement here; but you will get plenty of character bits that build off of the continuity that I have established. Also get ready to meet Peter Parkers special lady; and fans will have plenty to be happy/furious about :p.))

Chapter 5:

Day 1 /Part 7 9:46 PM

Juggernaut spun in the air as he soared high above the continents; watching them come in and out of his view. He had stopped struggling against the momentum he had gained from Supermans throw, and now simply waited for himself to slow down enough for him to alter his course. He spun around several more times, the air rushing past him so fast that it would have frozen a normal man to death. Then, suddenly, Juggernaut felt himself stop spinning, a strong hand gripping him under his arm-pit.

"I'm not going to have to worry about you trying to knock me out of the air am I?" Supermans voice echoed high in the sky as Juggernaut adjusted to the world no longer spinning around him. Superman could feel the Juggernauts body go limp as he surrendered to Supermans grasp. "Hang on; this will be slightly disorienting." In a blur of red Juggernaut was snatched from his place, miles above the Earth, and within five seconds the two were back on solid ground; floating slightly above the dirt ground beneath them. Superman released his grip on Juggernaut as their feet touched the ground.

Juggernaut took a deep breath as air was once again available to him. "Ah." The behemoth of a man sighed as he rested one hand on Supermans shoulder. "There are many values that are admirable in men; but few men these days seek to adhere to those values." Cain Marko spoke as he released his grip on Superman and turned to walk away. "You have shown your merit... 'Superman'. You should no longer consider me your enemy." Marko said as he walked away.

"And the X-Men? Will you attack them again?" Superman called out to Marko as the man turned to meet eyes with Superman.

"One day; but first I have a score to settle with Magneto. He promised that Xavier would be mine, but it is clear now that he has other intentions for my... brother." Juggernaut smiled as he turned away from the startled Superman, calling back to him as he walked away. "For now, the X-Men have nothing to fear from me."

Superman wondered if he were making the right call; the whole 'Mutant' situation on this earth seemed so... complicated. What if he handed Juggernaut to the government and they started doing tests on him? As much as he wanted to trust Nick Fury and the rest of SHIELD; he could remember the way Scott Summers shouted at him; the pain in his voice only amplified by the mocking look Fury had given Summers from his one good eye. He couldn't help but wonder if Summers had been right; did SHIELD even care about these mutants.

There was a loud thumping noise, and as Superman looked up he could see the Juggernaut bounding off into the distance. He could only hope now that he had made the right decision.

Day 1 /Part 7 9:49 PM

"I have you bound; I have you wounded; I have you beaten Spiderman!" Kraven shouted; a large wound across his brow, created by one of his own stray throwing knives Spidey had conviently tossed into the air. His sword hung in his hand, the weight of the metal beginning to weigh down his arm. Blood flooded his eyes, making it difficult for Kraven the Hunter to see his prey.

"Yeah, I'm beaten;" Spiderman said sarcastically, "but you're the one whose about to pass out from blood loss. You might want to cut your losses on this one; I mean the hospital is right over there." Spiderman said mockingly as he pointed with his free arm to the Hospital just down the street. Spidermans right arm was still tied behind his back from his own webbing. "No need for either of us to get hurt anymo-"

Kraven cut Spiderman off with a violent shout, dashing towards him with his sword raised above his head. The sword swung around towards Spiderman at a furious speed; yet Spiderman as able to gracefully weave around it. Again and again Kraven swung out at Spiderman in a fit of anger, each time his weapon missing Spiderman by mere inches. "Die. Die. DIE!" Kraven began to shout with each swing of his weapon. After a half a dozen more swings Kraven raised his sword over his head and let loose a furious shout; bringing his sword down towards Spiderman with all of his might.

Spiderman stepped backwards, turning his body so that the webbing that bound his arm was exposed. Using all of his might Spiderman pulled against the resilient web, straining it as Kravens sword came down and cut through enough of the webbing that Spidermans arm was set free as the webbing snapped under Spidermans pull. "Oh thank you!" Spiderman said in a sigh of relief; rotating his recently freed arm as he stretched out his muscles. "You have no idea how badly my arm was cramping up."

Kravens face contorted into a look of complete rage; the dried blood on his face cracked as his skin shifted; causing his wound to release more blood over his eyes. "Kill! I'll kill you!" Kraven shout as he lunged towards Spiderman; his sword held steady over his head and he prepared to strike. Slowed by his wounds; and blinded by blood; Kraven was no match for the freed Spiderman. As the sword neared him, Spiderman caught Kravens forearm with his left hand; then using his right, he launched a power uppercut into Kravens jaw.

"Spider-punch!" Spidey called out with a strong voice as his fist collided with Kravens face; causing the hunter to dislodge several teeth as he feel backwards; loosing his grip on his sword as he almost flew eight feet across the roof, until he collided with the concrete. Spiderman approached Kraven cautiously as he rubbed his hand. "Mount my head on a wall, will you?" Spiderman said mockingly as he watched Kravens eyes roll behind his eye-lids. Spiderman heard Kravens sword clang upon the roof as it landed after being knocked out of Kravens hand from the punch.

The sound of loud clapping filled the air. "That was amazing." The proud voice of Superman pronounced as he floated down to the roof; appearing as if from no-where. "You didn't even have your arm for most of the fight." Superman said impressed as his feet touched down on the roof.

"What? You've been watching for that long?" Spiderman said with a shocked expression, still rubbing his hand as he approached the Man of Steel.

"I've been listening in periodically. I got worried when your arm got tied up; but you handled yourself well enough." Superman said with a grin as Spiderman looked over at Kraven. "What?" Superman announced with mild confusion as he looked down at Kraven, before noticing that the blood was still spewing from Kravens forehead. "Oh! I'll get to him to the hospital." Superman said hastily as he engaged his Super-speed, scooping up Kraven and soaring to the hospital in a blur of red and blue.

Spiderman lifted his left hand in front of his face with all five of his fingers out. Every second that passed he would lower one of his fingers. After three of his fingers were down Superman re-appeared. "You know," Spiderman began as the wind caused by Supermans entrance swooshed past him; "I hope you had enough time to explain what was wrong with him." Spiderman said seriously, crossing his arms as he looked towards Superman.

"He had a gash across his head and a bloody mouth; not hard to catch those." Superman grinned as he raised one of his eyebrows; glad to see that Spiderman was worried for Kravens safety. Superman quickly listened in on the Hospital room he had left Kraven in; "The doctors are already working on him now. Nothing to worry about." Spidermans entire posture began to lighten.

"Oh; good," Spidey began with a relaxed expression; "so what was the deal with the giant head-ache that everyone had?" Spiderman said with curiosity in his voice as the two approached the edge of the roof.

"Still not too sure about that. It had something to do with that Xavier guy from SHIELD headquarters this morning." There was a thoughtful look on Supermans face as the began to consider how wide-ranging Xaviers powers had been; all of Manhattan Island stopped and fell into a communal fit of pain. "Hard to believe one man could affect so many others." Superman thought out-loud as he began to float into the air.

"You'll have to tell me all about it; but first I have to make a stop to see a certain beautiful lady; who hopefully TiVoed the new CSI. Oh, and she doesn't know I'm Spiderman!" Spiderman said as he jumped off of the roof; swinging himself from rooftop to rooftop with an energetic burst of excitement. Superman smiled as he began to soar after Spiderman; but as he did a heavy feeling began to sink in his heart. Lois.

How crazy would she be going right now? She was still asleep when Clark had left the morning before all of this had happened; she was going to be furious with him when he got back. Yet it wasn't that thought which disturbed the Man of Steel; it was that for all Lois and the others would know, he could be dead. He hated putting Lois through these kinds of ordeals.

Superman tried to push the thoughts out of his mind as Spidermans path began to weave and dodge between several skyscrapers. Superman elevated his flight path so that it would be easier for him to follow Spiderman.

Day 1 /Part 7 10:02 PM

"Wolverine is a dick. If I were Cyclops, I would have melted his toe-nails." Peter Parker said as he buttoned up his blue-collar work shirt as the two sat atop Peter Parkers apartment building, where he lived with his girlfriend. "But seriously; It's always trouble when Magneto and his Brotherhood show up, they're lucky you showed up and slapped Juggs into the stratosphere." Peter said with a laugh as he rolled up the sleeves on his Spiderman outfit before pulling down, and buttoning up the sleeves on his shirt.

"They were hit at their home; half of them were scrambling, trying to find the younger students that lived there." Clark said in defense as he held onto his civilian clothes, still wearing his full Superman outfit. "They held their own; and Magnetos power packs more of a punch than you'd expect."

"Oh I've done the tango with that bucket-head a couple times over the years; I'm fully aware of how much butt he can kick." Peter said as he began to rub his backside. "The best thing about him is how he likes to throw Wolverine away...far away." As Peter spoke, Superman began to spin around at lightening fast speed; and when he stopped spinning he was in his civilian garb; Ben Parkers glasses in his hands as he raised them onto his face.

"I take it you don't like Logan too much." Clark asked as he buttoned up the sleeves on his shirt; coming to stand next to Peter on the edge of the building.

"Oh, it's not that I don't like him; I loathe him entirely." Peter said as he clenched his fists in front of his face; his voice taking on a deep, menacing tone. "I hate his face; I hate his voice; I hate the way he smells; and boy does he smell." Peter said as he jumped from the roof, plummeting over forty feet until he hit the ground, his knees catching most of his weight from the fall.

"Don't you think you're being a little over-dramatic?" Clark said as he followed Peter, floating down to the ground in the small alleyway beside the apartment building.

"The first time I was alone with him; he tried to stab me!" Peter said with defiant eyes as he walked by Clark and towards the sidewalk at the end of the alley. Clark raised his finger in the air to retort, but he couldn't find the words to justify that kind of behavior. So Clark simply put his hands in his pockets, and began to follow after Peter; excited at the idea of meeting Peters girlfriend.

Day 1 /Part 8 11:35 PM

Clark laughed outloud at the sight of Wile E. Coyotee as he once again plummeted off the side of a mountain. Clark sat on a cozy chair, and his laugh had startled Peter and Betty Brant out of their sleep on the couch. "Woah; did I fall asleep?" Betty said as she began to rub at her eyes; Peter rubbed her back as she leaned forward on the couch to stretch her back.

"You've been asleep maybe five minutes; I was just going to watch this last cartoon and then get out of here so you two can get to bed." Clark said as he looked back at the two with a smile on his face; his glasses reflecting the image projected by the television.

"Well I think I'm going to hit the sack now; Jameson wants me in early tomorrow to deal with something he has planned." Betty said as she leaned towards Peter and kissed him on the lips before lifting herself off the couch. "Goodnight handsome; and it was nice meeting you Clark." Betty called back to Clark as she waved to him.

"It was nice meeting you too Betty; sweet dreams." Clark said with a smile; Betty returned it and then closed her bedroom door behind her. Clark turned to Peter, who was stretching out his neck. "I like her; she seems like a very nice person." Clark said as he stood up and began to walk towards the television, seeing that the show had switched to commercials.

"Yeah; it almost didn't happen between us, we were friends for a long time, then one day... things just clicked." Peter said as his face held its tired expression; Clark reached out and turned off the television.

"Well, I think I'm going to head out." Clark said as he began to walk towards the door.

"I thought you had said that. Where are you going to go?" Peter asked as he followed Clark down the hallway.

"I'll head down to Avengers Mansion. Do a final check in and see if there's anything I can help with." They approached the door as Clark turned around to face Peter, reaching a hand out to him as he did. "We had a very productive day Mr. Parker." Clark said with a grin as Peter reached out and shook his hand.

"Too productive; I'm hitting the pillow hard tonight." A light laugh escaped Clark as the two released their grips; Clark turned and opened the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Clark exited the apartment as Peter said his goodnight. For a moment Clark stood in the hallway of the apartment building; smiling to himself as he remembered the first apartment he had lived in with Lois...

Day 1 /Part 9 11:41 PM

"Thank you for checking in; we were starting to worry when Spiderman didn't check in twenty minutes ago." Agent Coulson of SHIELD said as he monitored several computer screens which held information about some agents he had on mission. The large room was the only room that Stark had given SHIELD full access to with the Avengers Mansion, and they used it as a base of operation for related missions. "But we don't have authority to take action against an agent who hasn't checked in until they are over an hour late; just a heads up for next time." Coulson said as he smiled momentarily towards Superman before returning his attention to his computer screens.

"Thank you agent; if there's anything you need help with;" Superman began, his cape flowing behind him as he stood in the middle of the large room; there were other agents on computers who were in direct contact with the agents in the field. Coulson turned back to Superman with a slightly stressful look behind his tired eyes.

"I appreciate the offer; but we can take care of things." Coulson said as his eyes gave way to a look of mistrust; it was possible that all of SHIELD didn't trust Superman.

"Well, you know where to find me." Superman said as he turned on his spot; making his way quickly out of the room, feeling the eyes of many of the SHIELD agents follow him as he exited the room. A sigh escaped Superman as he shut the door behind him; relieved to be away from the government agents. It wasn't that Superman didn't like them; it was just that their mistrust of him, coupled with the fact that he was on their turf, made him slightly uneasy. He tried to shake off the uneasy feeling as he began to walk down the hallway.

As Superman walked, he was startled by the sound of a nurse almost shouting in annoyance as the doors to the infirmary burst open; Tony Stark coming out in a gown as he zipped up his blue-jeans with his uninjured arm. Clark was shocked to see that Stark was able to get his pants on with only one arm; but that seemed to be a talent people in universe had. Starks nose was still bandaged, and his left arm was still in a brace from his fight with Luthor the day before*.

((OOC: *For more info, see "The Marvelous Adventure of Superman"))

"I heard you the first time lady." Tony Stark yelled back at the nurse; his voice making a strange sound as he could not breath through his mouth. "I'll leave the armor here; all R&R for this Avenger." Tony said as he tossed his suit jacket over his shoulders before removing his gown; tossing it into a nearby trash bin as he took notice of Superman. "Ah, you're back." Tony said with a smile as he approached Superman; stopping at arms length of him. "I've been watching you and Spidey on the news all day while I've been bed-ridden. Good job out there." Tony reached out with his good hand and patted Superman on the arm. "No hard feelings about locking you up and then mopping the floor with you? I mean you pack a good punch, but at the end of the day only a few people can stand up against the weight of my genius." Tony said with a serious look in his face as he examined Clark with intense intrigue. After several moments Superman couldn't help but form an awkward smile across his face; speaking no words as he simply nodded his head.

Tony Stark began to smile with a playful grin as he walked by Superman; "You know, most people would have made an ego joke there; but you took the high-road." Tony stopped as he passed Superman and turned around to meet his gaze. "I can appreciate people taking the high-road; but I'm also a fan of speaking your mind." Tony said as he looked down the hallway to his left; then looking behind him to make sure no one was coming down the hallway from that direction.

"You seem agitated about something; everything okay?" Superman asked as he began to wonder what had Tony Stark looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah; just don't want Fury or Coulson to show up and try to harpoon me into another of their crazy operations; one of the downsides to being a genius is that everyone wants to get their hands on your brain." Tony said with an arrogant tone as he motioned for Superman to follow him. "Hey, I could use a hand packing a few things up."

Several Minutes Later...

Superman handed Tony Stark the last of his files from the desk in his personal office in Avengers Mansion; during the time Stark had remained oddly silent. "Thank you." Tony said with a serious tone as he took the file from Superman, who looked back at him with a slightly confused look.

"It wasn't that much work." Superman said jokingly as Tony packed away the file.

"No. I mean for not letting me down. There was a while where I wasn't sure what your intentions were; and the fact that Luthor is so much... like me; a part of me wanted to believe what he said, but something in my gut never let me trust him." Tony held a serious look across his face as the two heroes looked at one another. "My gut was right, and you proved that. So, thank you."

Tony picked up the small carrying case he had for the files and began to walk towards the door. "You're not like him." Superman said as Tony approached the door. "Lex is... twisted. I've known him longer than anyone else can claim; and at his core; he is a monster." Superman said with an air of minor frustration as he began to think of the chaos the Lex had brought down upon Metropolis, how it had spilled over into this world and almost turned the Avengers against him.

"If he's such a monster; why is he still alive?" Tony asked as he approached Superman, the nasal passage of his broken nose making a whistle as he spoke. Superman met his look with a confident, defiant expression.

"If I've learned anything in my life; it's that even monsters deserve a second chance." Superman said as a slightly grin began to form along Starks face.

"You really take the whole 'boy scout' thing to a new level." Tony said with a laugh as he reached his hand out to Superman. "I'm going to be out of town for a few days on vacation while I recover; with you here things should be alright while I'm gone."

"I may not be here for long. Two more days at the most." Superman said reluctantly as he shook Tonys hand, taking gentle care so he would not break the mans only good hand.

"Either way; it's been fun." Tony Stark said with a wink. "I'd recommend checking in on current events while your here. Anything can happen tomorrow, and it'll be better for you to know what happened yesterday". Tony said as he turned on his spot and left Superman alone in the room; contemplating on the logic behind what Stark had said.

Day 2 /Part 9 12:06 AM

A flash of red light brightened the dark alley in New York City; a small red orb of energy began to expand from nothing as the garbage can in the alley began to melt from the heat given off by the red orb. In a blinding flash of red light, the orb dissipated, and left in its place was a humanoid mini-hulk; his body was adorned with a strange green battle armor of a design that resembled the sub-atomica-verse of that Hank Pym and Reed Richards had traversed on several occasions. His yellow face was jagged and metallic looking, and it was difficult to distinguish from the man and his armor.

The man cracked his neck as a wide smile perched across his face. "A pleasant side-effect. If only I had been faster in chasing down that intruder. But no matter. Now that I have entered the macro-verse I can open a portal to allow my followers to invade the Earth." The man laughed menacingly as he clenched his fists. "Soon this world shall remember the might of Psycho-Man!"

((Psycho-Man? Where the heck did he come from? And what the heck is he talking about? To find out, make sure you check out 'The Search for Superman'. Which has it's first chapter up for all to enjoy! Hope you've enjoyed chapter 5; and in the next Chapter day 2 starts out with what the Title promises! Expect to see the formation of a 'New' team of Avengers!))


	6. Busted at the Bugel

((Okay, Day 2 begins! Get ready to see the formation of a new group of heroes; and Superman just happens to be around for it :p. This chapter actually got written pretty quickly; I was hoping to be able to get to the action by the end of it; but I had a lot of character building to do; especially for Cyclops. I've added a few extra details to his character that I think make him a better leader for the X-Men; and factors that will also help him to keep true to Xaviers vision; unlike a certain version of Cyclops who killed his mentor! {not THIS version of Cyclops!} So hope you enjoy the new Chapter; and if you haven't already, check out the 2nd Epilogue for 'The Marvelous Adventure of Superman'.))

**Day 2 /Part 10 6:10 AM**

A stack of books and newspaper clippings surrounded a lone desk within the Avengers library. In the desks center was a small lap-top, with Superman sitting at the seat before it. He had removed his cape, and had put on a zip-up hoodie with the Avengers logo on the back of it; he sometimes liked to take off the cape, and feel somewhat normal.

Clark read through a series of articles; each one with a different take on the events surrounding the Mutant Registration Act (MRA); and the different atrocities that were carried out against Mutants in the name of 'Justice'. He read of how the Mutants were subject to Internment without cause; for no reason other than they were born with a genetic abnormality in comparison to a regular human. How the Mutants were pushed; to the point that Magneto and his Brotherhood were arguably justified in their defense of their race. The more Superman read; the more he wondered if he had been too hasty with how he dealt with Magneto...

Clark continued to read; learning how SHIELD had enforced the MRA; and how it had all come to end by an act of public defiance by Captain America; who refused to watch what he called 'the repeated horrors of the same Mad-Man I was made to stop'. Steve Rogers speaking out against the rest of his society opened their eyes; public opinion slowly shifted; and the legislation that was enacted by the MRA was stripped away; and a new legislation called the Mutant Equality of Rights Act; which gave Mutants protection from any Future legislation which could infringe on any of their rights. The Act was created and put to Congress by Captain America; Charles Xavier; and Erik Lehnsherr himself; AKA Magneto. It passed three weeks later.

A knock on the door to the library pulled Clark from his thoughts; he turned to see Agent Coulson in the door-frame; a coffee in hand and a newspaper tucked under his arm as he entered the room. "You haven't slept at all; have you?" Coulson asked as he stopped several feet from Superman; slowly taking a sip as Superman rose from his seat.

"I don't need sleep; you can't say the same though. You haven't slept either, have you?" Superman said as he noticed the tired expression on Coulsons face.

"That's what coffee is for." Coulson said as he took another sip of his coffee; his eyes never failing in their watch of Superman. "So; since you're still here, Fury wants to know what your plan is."

Superman thought for a moment; it probably wasn't a good idea to tell them that a being of greater power than he had, warped into his room from another dimension and told him that his friends would find him after three days. All he had to do was wait two more days; he hoped that he would be able to maintain peace with SHIELD while he was here; especially after learning of exactly how far SHIELD would go to protect their interests. "I have plans for getting off of this...version of Earth. I should be gone in two more days."

"You don't plan on blowing up anymore sub-structures above small counties to do that...do you?" Coulson asked; with obvious reference to how Superman and Lex Luthor had arrived in this Universe.

"Not this time." Clark said with a light smile, though he suddenly began to hope that the Justice League didn't accidentally warp a section of the Watchtower into this version of New York.

Coulson took another sip of his coffee; his eyes finally wandering off of Superman, and to the stack of newspapers that were on the desk Superman had been at. "That was a bad time for all of us." Coulson said as Clark took note of what he was talking about; he expected Coulson to try and excuse the actions of SHIELD. "When Cap made his speech to the country, a lot of people were pissed off about it. I'm still feeling the ramifications for standing up with Captain Rogers that day."

Clark looked at Coulson surprised. "Wait; you mean that you were at the speech?" Clark asked with curiosity.

"I helped Captain Rogers arrange the whole thing. I was at his side until the moment he went up to the podium." Coulson said as walked by Superman and picked up the newspaper clipping. "I was afraid that he would die up there. But he surprised everybody that day; and Mutant Equality has been the next stage of social enlightenment."

"You weren't mentioned at all in any of the articles." Superman said as Coulson took another sip of his coffee, turning to Superman as he did.

He finished taking his sip and looked at Superman with a curious look; as if Supermans interest in his personal life was off-putting. "SHIELD went to great extent to ensure that the world didn't know that one of it's main operatives was subverting their work at the time. Let's just say that I haven't been given a field assignment since it happened." Coulson said as a forced smile formed on his face.

"Was it worth it?" Superman asked; the forced smile along Coulsons face becoming more natural.

"Everyday. Doing what's right is always worth it." Coulson said, pulling out the newspaper that he brought in with it, still rolled up, and handed it to Superman. "There's injustice to fight everywhere; and everyday there's something new. I'll never stop doing what I can." Coulson said as he tipped his cup to Superman, before walking out of the room.

Superman watched Coulson as he left the room; impressed with the fact that he had been so wrong about him. He had figured that Coulson was just another one of Furys' lap-dogs; it was a good thing to see that SHIELD was not full of people who weren't afraid to stand up for what is right.

Superman looked down to the newspaper he had been handed; and his curiosity peaked as he saw the name of the Daily Bugle starring back at him. He remembered how Betty had said that Jameson was having her in early for something important. He quickly opened the paper with hopes of having a good read, and instead was shocked and enraged by what he saw.

_Masked Vigilante 'Spiderman' Strikes Again! Hires Assistance to Help Rob Bank! Bank Security Saved by new Caped Hero; Superman!_

"Lying son of a..." Superman ripped the paper in two; the picture of himself holding the real robbers get-away car over his head as the main piece of this article; starring back at him as it fell to the ground. As the paper hit the ground; Superman tore off the Avengers sweater he had on; scooped up his cape and soared out the door at Super-Speed.

**Day 2/ Part 10 6:25 AM**

Peter Parker lay in his bed, stretched out across it; something he did often after Betty had got up for work. He was dreaming that he wore a cape; and shot webbing from his feet when his bliss was broken by the sharp sounds of ringing. At first he thought it was his Spidey-sense; so he jumped out of bed; prepared to defend himself. Yet he was soon to discover that it was the phone that had awoken him.

He shifted slowly in his bed; giving the person calling every opportunity to give up in trying to get a hold of him. To his dismay, the caller did not give up before he reached the phone; he reached up and reluctantly picked the phone off its base and hit the talk button. "This Peter. What you want? Me no up now." Peter said in his tired Hulk voice; something he had got into the habit of after he had been 'forced' to spend a week in seclusion with the Hulk.

"Peter! Wake up, now!" The panicked voice of Betty Brant was enough to cause Peter to jump out of his bed; his blood pumping, ready to grab his suit and leap out the window at any second.

"What is it Betty? Are you okay?" Peter said, worry and panic in his own voice.

"I'm fine; but that guy who saved those people from the bank the other day, Superman! He just burst into the Bugle with a group of cops! He's trying to get Jameson arrested!" Bettys' voice hung in the air while Spiderman took in what she had said; his need to grab his suit and leap forth into action being replaced with the calling of the pillow.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Peter said as he turned and looked back at his bed. A look of longing in his eyes as he gazed firmly at his covers.

"Grab your camera and get down here, lickity-split! Jameson would never forgive you if you didn't manage to get a few pictures of this. I got a few on my phone; but you should be here if you're still gunning for the office job." Betty said as Peter began to rationalize; which he loathed, because it meant that sleeping in was off the table.

"I'll be there as soon as I can; try to stall them for doing anything important." Peter said as he grabbed hold of his jeans and a stray T-shirt on the ground.

"Stall them? It's freaking Superman!" Betty said dryly before hastily hanging up the phone; something Peter was used to; knowing that Jameson didn't like hearing that his phone was being used for personal calls (and to JJ; all phones in the Bugle were HIS phone).

**Day 2/ Part 10 6:50 AM**

Peter Parker burst through the doors to the Daily Bugle offices; seeing that Betty was now in Jamesons' office with the officers, and Superman! Peter was surprised to see Clark here, and in uniform no less! One of the officers opened the office door; seeing Peter he called out to him. "Mr. Parker, would you please come into the office." The officer spoke sternly; he wasn't asking Peter, he was telling him. Peter gulped as quietly as he could, slowly making his way into the office; his Spidey-sense remaining eerily quiet.

Peter entered the office to see Jameson sitting in his chair; his face flushed red, the look of anger and frustration plastered all over his face. Superman smiled at Peter as he entered the room; looking around to everyone with a look of confusion. "What's going on guys?" Peter said lightly as he took off his camera from around his neck.

"What's going on? What a stupid question Parker!" Jameson shouted from behind his desk. "I'll tell you what's going on! I had barely had my first sip of coffee before this costumed buffoon stormed in here and accused me of slander!" Jameson shouted as he pointed a finger towards Superman.

"That's not true Mr. Jameson." Superman cut in; a smug smile perched across his face. "Slander is spoke; in print, it's"

"I know what it is you arrogant cape wearing fly-boy!" Jameson shouted back at him; obviously trying not to call Superman anything too harsh.

"We have enough evidence to support his claim; it's been presented to you. I'm sorry about this Mr. Jameson, but you have to come with us." The officer said as he approached the side of Jamesons' desk; giving him the opportunity to stand and give himself over of his own accord. Jameson starred down the officer; before throwing a final look of contempt towards Superman.

"How can he even do this? He's not even a human! Or from this reality!" Jameson said furiously as he stood up; presenting his hands to the officer.

"I'm not doing anything." Superman said sternly. "You're right that I have to means to pursue legal action; but what you did is a criminal charge; and that means that you're being charged by the state."

"But Spiderman is the criminal! I wont rest until he's exposed for the menace that he really is!" Jameson shouted as the officer slapped the handcuffs on him. Superman gave Jameson a defiant glare as the officer read him his rights. Once the officer was done; Superman stepped forward.

"You may believe Spiderman is a menace; and that's your problem; but you don't use what is supposed to be a legitimate news source to tell lies to the public. You're not the good guy in your little 'crusade' against Spiderman; and so long as you keep at it, there will always be someone like me to stop you." With that; the officer took Jameson out of the room, followed shortly by the other officers. Peter looked towards Superman, a grateful and worried smile along his mouth.

"Peter! Pictures!" Betty said hastily as she handed Peter his camera. Peter took it; and ran out the door after the officers. Betty looked to Superman with an awkward look; rubbing her neck as he smiled towards her. "I'll be lucky to keep my job after what I said about J.J. I practically testified against him." Betty said as she let a worried laugh escape her.

"You were honest; he was the one who did something wrong. I'm sorry things happened this way; but you telling the police that Jameson has released articles like this one before only confirmed what I had told them." Superman turned and began to leave the room. "You're a good person Ms. Brant; don't let the world turn you into something other than that."

**Day 2/ Part 11 8:00 AM**

"I can't believe you did that..." Peter Parker said as he and Superman, disguised as Clark Kent; sat down at coffee joint;both eating what would be their breakfast. "J.J. has been up that old game of his for years; and no one has ever tried to get him arrested before!"

"Well then maybe that's why it never stopped." Clark said defiantly as he took a bite out of his toasted bagel. "You can't let injustice slip by; big or small you have to nip it in the butt." Clark said as he noticed the worried look across Peters face. In his rush to see justice done; Clark had forgotten that Jameson employed Peter and Betty; and hoped that there wouldn't be any negative consequences to his actions. "Why you let him get away with it for this long; it just doesn't make sense to me, Pete."

"Oh, I've tried making peace with J.J. over the years; but he has his reason for hating Spiderman." Peter said as a sad look came over his face. The two were interrupted by a buzzing noise which echoed from Spidermans' Avengers communicator. Peter quickly got up and excused himself to the bathroom. Before too long Peter came back with a worried look on his face. "Fury wants me back into HQ. He didn't say anything about you when I mentioned what went on this morning. Almost acted like he already knew."

Clark thought on what Peter said; it wouldn't surprise him if Fury was keeping tabs on Superman. Clark speedily ate the rest of his bagel at a speed that left Peter with the impression that Clarks' bagel disappeared.

"I can't stress to you how envious that makes me. And it's not like I can web-sling and drink my coffee." Peter sighed deeply before rising from his seat. "Time to answer to 'The Man'." Peter said with a light grin as the two left the coffee joint.

**Day 2/ Part 12 8:15 AM**

_Xavier Mansion..._

"I don't understand why we have to do anything for them!" Cyclops shouted within Xaviers office; slamming his hands into his mentors desk. "We've done nothing but help them; save their lives at the expense of our own! And they still HATE us! Spy on us! Play every dirty trick in the book!" Xavier sat; un-flinched behind his desk as his pupil vented his frustrations. He knew how much Scott needed to let out his anger since everything that had happened to him. Xavier had recovered in the early morning since the attack by the Brotherhood the night before."You give me one good reason why we should even consider what Fury is asking of us?"

"Firstly;" Xavier began, using a calm and assertive voice as he looked at how upset Scott had become. "This is not a request of General Fury; but of the United States government. Securing Mutant rights was hard enough to do; maintaining good relations, and upholding the X-Men as the forefront of Mutant/Human relations is key now." There was a silence as Scott listened the words that were spoken to him; his mind constantly wandering back to what had happened to Alex. "Second; we've worked too hard; come too far to give up on the dream now Scott." Xaviers head lowered; "I know I shouldn't ask it of you Scott. You've endured so much; fought so hard. I see what this world has done to you; and your faith in mankind is hanging by a thread."

"Then why?" Scott pleaded; his anger barely held back in his voice.

"Because you're their leader. If you can't make peace with the world of Humans; then how can we expect them to?" Xaviers words hung in Scotts' ears; taking a deep breath and removing his hands from the table, Scott turned around and left the office. Storm came walking in moments later.

"Professor? Is Scott alright?" Orora asked; though the Professor seemed to be deep in thought.

"Don't worry about him darlin'." The grizzly voice of Logan cut in, as he too entered the room. "It's like I always say; he needs to get the pickle outta his ass and relax." Xavier suddenly popped back to attention; turning to Logan with a scowl.

_Meanwhile; half way around the world, in India..._

The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was bustling with people; all of them ready to board the planes to their destination. It was still the evening in India; and many people were sitting around, eating a store bought dinner while they waited for their flights.

A young man in his mid twenties waited in line for customs; his thoughts continued to dwell on the vision he had two days ago*. He had to return to New York, and help the friends he had made on his pilgrimage.

((*For more info, check out Epilogue #2 in The Marvelous Adventure of Superman))

"Next!" The attendant at the desk called, the young blonde man quickly making his way up to the lady. He handed her his ticket and his pass-port; fumbling slightly as his traveling bag slipped off of his shoulder. "New York huh? What's taking you that way Mr. Rand?" The attendant asked as she stamped Danny Rands passport.

"I've been away for a while. Have to go see some friends; make sure they're all doing alright." Danny said as the lady handed him his ticket and his pass-port back.

"You know they have Skype for that?" The lady said in a dry tone; the arrogant tone in her voice meaning her statement to be meant more as an insult. Danny however smiled back towards her before turning around, and proceeding to his gate to board the plane. The lady watched Danny walk for a moment; thrown off by Danny and his lack of interest in her. Soon the sound of the next customer in line groaning called her attention back to her job. "Next!"

**Day 2/ Part 13 9:15 AM**

_Back at Avengers Mansion..._

Spidermans foot tapped rapidly against the floor as he and Superman waited on a bench outside of the Avengers assembly room. They had been waiting for over an hour while Captain America and General Fury argued; Spiderman couldn't make out what they said, and Superman was making an effort not to listen.

"This is more than slightly irritating." Spidey said dully as he stretch out on the bench. "Calls us in so that we can sit around and wait while he argues with Mr. Patriotic. I tell you CK; Fury... I think he has a few screws loose. Don't get me wrong; he's a tactile genius, and he scares the crap out of me; but he's definitely not all there." Spidey said as he looked over to Superman; before shooting up out of his spot. "Hank! Uh; good to see you." Spiderman said awkwardly as Hank Pym entered the room; casting a nervous look towards Superman.

"Spiderman; glad I bumped into you." Hank said warmly; something that surprised Spiderman, considering last time they met Spidey knocked him out with his foot. "I've been meaning to apologize for how I acted when you stood up for Superman. I thought he had killed Tony, and"

"Don't worry about it Hank." Spiderman said, reaching out and placing a friendly hand on Hank Pyms shoulder. "It was a crazy day for all of us; I'm just glad nothing too crazy happened." Hank smiled towards Spiderman; his eyes slowly moving towards Superman.

"I owe you an apology too." Hank said as he moved by Spiderman; Superman standing up as Hank approached. "I...we never really gave you the chance to explain yourself. We came in, guns blazing; assuming that everything Lex had told us was true." Hank said as his head began to hang low; Supermans' fists clenched at the mention of his name.

"Lex has a way of turning people against each other. No hard feelings." Superman reached his hand out to Hank Pym; who took it and smiled towards the Man of Steel. "You have a temper on you though Mr. Pym. You shouldn't let it control you the way you did when we fought. Someone else might not have survived it." There was a long silence that held after Superman spoke; only broken by the door to the assembly area bursting open; Captain America standing in the doorway.

"Hank; good. I thought I heard your voice. We're ready for you now. Sorry about the wait Spidey." Captain America said as Spiderman passed him while walking into the room. As Superman walked in, he and Captain America exchanged nods; and said no words to each other.

Sitting at the table of the assembly area was Luke Cage, and Ms. Marvel. Spiderman let out an excited shout at the sight of Luke; but Luke gave him a scowl, indicating that this was not the time. Spiderman and Superman took seats at the table with the others as Captain America, Nick Fury and Hank Pym stood before the group.

"First of all." Fury began, looking straight at Superman. "You are not required, and I'm sure you don't have the clearance to be here." Fury said as his good eye began to squint; his focus on Superman increasing.

"Nick. We don't have to go through this every time do we?" Steve Rogers cut in as he cast an irritated look towards General Fury; "I've had you all called in for a specific reason." Captain America said as he handed a folder off of the table to General Fury; who cleared his throat as he opened the folder.

"Yes. The government has given their approval on a new initiative for the Avengers team. As of now; you are all active on duty members of the Avengers new roster; which will be based specifically in New York." The group were all taken back; except for Superman, who wondered if the offer was extended to him as well. "Now; you duties under this new initiative will be to keep New York safe from all super-villain threats. All other active missions taking place around America and the world are NOT your concern." Fury said; giving Captain America an annoyed looked as he stressed the word 'not'.

"Question!" Spiderman said; shooting his hand up into the air. Ms. Marvel laughed slightly as Spidermans attitude. "Does this mean we're getting paid?"

"No." Fury said dryly; almost enjoying the shrug of Spidermans shoulders that shortly followed. "Today is what we call a test-run. You've all, mostly proven how capable you are with dealing with Super-villain threats; Ms. Marvel already helps the Avengers on a regular basis, so she will be your senior member on the team." Ms. Marvel stood from her seat and waved to the others; throwing Spiderman a quick wink when she looked his way.

"Now that you all know the basic set-up; I'll leave the rest to Captain Rogers and Doctor Pym." Fury closed up the folder and placed it down on the table. He then turned around and proceeded to exit the room; several other SHIELD members walking with him as soon as he left. It was clear that Fury had other things to spend his time doing.

"Hank." Captain America said as Hank Pym took center stage.

"So." Hank Pym began as he looked out to the others. "Late last night I detected a surge of Pym-particles in Lower Manhattan. An hour later, Captain America and I were called in to deal with a rampaging Triceratops... a blue one." For a moment, the heroes sitting at the table exchanged confused looks; except for Superman, who sat, waiting contently for Hank Pym to continue. "I've done several readings; and I'm sure that the appearance of this creature indicates that something has crossed into our universe from the micro-verse; other than the monster that we already dealt with."

"So what do you want us to do about it? And if you say shrink; I'm leaving." Luke Cage said half joking; not wanting for a moment to be the size of an action figure.

"Nothing that extreme." Hank laughed as he activated a digital display of the part of New York he had detected the Pym-particles. "I want you all to assist me in my continued analysis of the area. You'll all be on hand in-case anything attacks"

"That's not all." Captain America cut in quickly. "At my request; the government has allowed me to extend an olive branch to the X-Men. They will be working with us in a hands on manner for the foreseeable future." All of the new Avengers were surprised, and excited for the idea to work with the X-Men; except for Spiderman, whose heart began to race with fear. Superman noticed and looked over to Spiderman only to notice that he had his fingers crossed under his chair. "Since I can't join you all on this mission; I wanted someone else on the team who had more experience in a leadership role. I hope none of you clash heads too much."

"Oh please not him. Not him. Anyone but him; please, sweet merciful lord. Not him!" Superman heart Spiderman whisper in a panicked voice to himself. The door to the assembly room parted; and in walked a man that everyone recognized instantly. Spidermans' worry subsided as a sigh of relief escaped his lips. "Thank you, jebus." Spiderman said out loud; causing everyone in the room to look at him with a confused look.

"Hahaha. What's the matter?" The voice of Cyclops called out to Spiderman as he still laughed. "Still haven't got over when Logan tried to stab you? He's done it to everyone at least once."

_ An hour earlier; at Xavier Mansion... _

Scott Summers stormed passed Logan as he exited the Professors office. Much of the school was still damaged from the attack the night before; and as Scott walked, it didn't take long before the voice of the Professor began ringing in the back of his head.

"_Scott_." Xavier began. "_You have been pushing on like this since Jean passed. You can't keep blaming youself for what happened to her._" As Scott walked, he could feel a tear form and vaporize in his eye. "_Now you blame SHIELD for Alex the same way you blame yourself for Jean. You hate yourself with the same passion that makes you hate mankind._" Scott made his way through the main living area of the Mansion, slowly moving towards the garage. "_Your faith is hanging by a thread Scott. Maybe it's time you strengthened that string_." Scott reached out for the door to the garage; Xaviers words striking him close to his heart.

The door to the garage swung open; a cabinet next to the door held the many keys for the different vehicles stored here. Scott reached over and grabbed the keys to Logans bike. "Professor." Scott thought; knowing that Xavier was still in his mind.. "Last time you used cerebro; did you"

_"No Scott. I couldn't feel her. She is gone; you have to move on, son_." Xaviers voice echoed in Scotts mind as he started up the mind began to wander.

"I can't just move on. I refuse to." The engine to the bike rumbled as Scott sped out of the garage, and off of the property. It would take him 45 minutes to get to Avengers Mansion; plenty of time for him to think.

((Well thats all for now. Hope you enjoyed; and don't forget to keep your eyes open for a new Chapter to 'The Search for Superman'; which follows DC Heroes on their quest to find out where Superman is; and how to get him home.))


	7. New Avengers and Old Monsters

((So this is the begriming of the final arc to this story. It took me a while to decide how it should work out; so I hope you guys enjoy the roster and their dynamic. Though in all honesty I didn't go into detail on all of the characters; I kind of decided to dedicate the second part of the chapter to something else; so I hope you guys enjoy that and what it teases towards :p)).

Chapter 7:

Day 2/ Part 14. 9:25 AM

Captain America and Cyclops were discussing different battle tactics that could be run with the current roster of heroes; Superman listened in on their conversation as the others talked amongst themselves around him. Superman was surprised by how well Cyclops and Captain America seemed to be collaborating. After learning about Mutant history, Clark knew what a big deal it was that a Mutant Liaison would be leading this team.

"Don't you think so Supes?" Spiderman asked, bringing Superman back to the situation before him.

"What? Sorry, I was kind of somewhere else." Superman said with slight embarrassment as he rubbed his neck.

"I was saying how Cyclops looks a lot skinnier in person than he did last time I saw him. I mean if you've seen a picture of him from like three years ago, he was kind of, almost intimidating to stand beside. Now he just looks...I don't know; lanky." Superman looked over to Cyclops as Spiderman spoke; it was true. Compared to the pictures Superman had seen in the papers he had read; Cyclops did look different...

"Could you stop gossiping for a minute; I've still got a bone to pick with you bug." Luke Cage said in a deep, angry voice. The golden chain with the letters 'LC' in a Celtic formation dangled against Luke's yellow shirt. Spiderman took a deep gulp. "Where's my book web-head?"

Spiderman looked from Luke, to Superman; gulping once more for good measure. "Well. I; uh. It... it kind of got...sort of...blasted." Spiderman almost whelped it out as he shut his eyes; waiting for the inevitable left hook that was coming his way.

"How do you get a book blasted Spidey?" Luke said with both irritation and surprise in his voice.

"Well; I kind of... got blasted. It saved my life if that's any consolation." Spiderman said weakly as his nerves began to settle. His shoulders relaxing as his Spidey-sense had not yet chimed in.

Luke sighed in mild aggravation as he rubbed his nose. "I'm glad you're okay Spidey; but that book was signed by Martin Luther King Jr. To my father of all people." Luke said with disappointment in his voice as he looked at Spidey.

"Jeez; Luke...I'm sorry, I didn't know." As Spidey made his apology to Luke Cage; Superman felt a light hand grasp him around the forearm. He looked over to the sight of Ms. Marvels flowing blonde hair, and bright blue eyes hidden behind her mask.

"Do you have a minute?" Ms. Marvel asked as she motioned Superman to follow her away from the others. Superman followed, taking cautious steps as he did; put off by how much this woman looked like Kara.

"What's this about Ms. Danvers?" Superman asked with a light smile and a curious tone; yet was unable to hide the discomfort and sadness he felt by looking at the woman who resembled his cousin so closely.

"Two days ago, during your fight with the Avengers and myself; when we were on the roof, you called me Kara." Supermans eyes went wide with surprise. "Who is she?" Carol Danvers asked with an intense curiosity.

Superman tried for a moment to avoid eye contact; his last memory of Kara was just after she had been beaten to near death by Lex and his Kryptonite gauntlet. "She's my cousin... You look a lot like her." Superman said in a low tone; almost whispering as the image of her bloody face etched it's way out of his mind. "Before I came here; she was attacked by Lex. I don't know if she made it." There was a silence that hung in the air between the two; broken by the sound of Spiderman saying, ' I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' repeatedly.

"I am too." Ms. Marvel said with a half smile, catching Supermans eye and he looked back to her; the sight of her smile brightening up his demeanor. " You actually remind me of someone I used to know." Carol said as she reached up to the emblem on her suit. "He's the reason I learned to control my powers; if it weren't for him I don't know where I'd be. But he..." The smile across Carols face winced and faded. "He died saving us all. From the very people who sent him here. I carry on his name and his legacy; but I'm not half the Marvel he was. I mean, he never would have sided with that jerk Luthor. I still can't believe I helped that psychopath." Carol said as both she and Superman clenched their fists.

"You're not the first people he's taken advantage of." His voice was still low; the memories of Lex and the constant bane upon Clark Kent that Lex had been, and then had later become for Superman began to overcome the Man of Steel. Yet he was able to calm his anger and look up to Ms. Marvel with a bright smile. "But thanks to General Fury; none of us should ever have to worry about him again."

"Avengers!" The loud and commanding voice of Captain America boomed through the meeting room; calling every ones attention to him. "It's time you all moved out. I'll be in Washington helping to deal with the Latveria crisis, so from this moment out you answer to Cyclops; what he says goes." As Captain America spoke, Superman quickly looked around the room at how everyone looked up at Captain America with admiration in their eyes; even Cyclops was smiling. Superman also began to admire a man who; in a room full of geniuses; mutant powered heroes; and space faring or inter-dimensional travelers; Captain America still seemed like the biggest person in the room.

Day 2/ Part 15 9:45 AM

The roar of the blades of the helicopter filled the air as a top-secret flight made it's way to a hidden island off of the coast of New York; home to the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals; AKA: The Vault. The helicopter bore the emblem of S.H.I.E.L.D. on it's sides, and was hastily moving through the air towards its destination.

The heli-pad had several attendants ready, among them was Agent Coulson; whose open jacket flapped with increasing intensity as the helicopter approached them and made its descent. "He's here." Coulson said into the communicator in his ear; "Make sure the way is clear. He wants to be in and out within fifteen minutes." As Coulson finished speaking, the helicopter closed in; it's door swinging open before it had touched the ground. Standing in the door frame was none other than Nick Fury; his eye patch covering his damaged eye; jumping from his place in the chopper and landing several feet below in front of the waiting Agent Coulson.

"Lets get moving. I don't have time to waste today; especially not on this asshole." Fury said with content as he walked by Coulson and towards the entrance to the Vault. Three Agents dressed in black business suits emerged from the helicopter after it had securely landed; running to catch up with Fury and Coulson as they entered the building. The doors to the facility burst open as Fury quickened his pace; Coulson made sure to keep up so that he could enter the pass codes for the locked doors; which were changed every six hours. The Agents who had accompanied Fury off of the chopper were locked behind the first door they went through as it slammed shut in front of them. A light smile came over Nick Fury's face; he would be happy for the added privacy of not having the Presidents men looking down his neck.

After entering the detention levels of the facility, Fury and Coulson began to walk slowly through the maze of corridors which led to the deepest level of the prison. The first level was for low level threats; mostly it was filled with Mutants and other super-powered types who had failed to control their own ability and had become a danger to themselves and others. On this first level, only the ones who were guilty by lack of control were kept; meaning that if these people could control their powers, then they would not be a threat; and SHIELD often used Level One as a recruiting station for new Agents.

Fury and Coulson made their way through Level One; until they came to a hidden door at the end of a lonely hallway. Coulson pressed his palm against a portion of the wall; causing a heat-sensor hidden behind the panel to activate. "Authorization for: Agent Coulson: Recognized" A computerized voice echoed through the small hallway as the hidden door opened to reveal the elevator to the lower levels. The two stepped inside and began their descent into the facility.

On Levels Two through six were a series of fifty separate blocks; each one comprised a dozen cells which could be altered depending on the current resident. Levels seven through ten were all specially designed cells for the truly dangerous villains who needed to be locked up and watched indefinitely. Fury and Coulson were heading towards level six; to the one block above level seven which had a single cell within it.

The elevator door opened as the two arrived on Level Six. And after two more security checks they found themselves at the desired cell. Bars of green plasma energy flowed from the top to the bottom of the cell, creating the barrier that protected the outside world from the criminal element trapped within the cell. The cell was fairly small; with only a small bed and a chair within it. There was a separate room with a toilet that was connected to the cell, but there was no door and the condition of the toilet was not appealing. As Fury approached the glowing bars of energy, a foul odor crept its way through his nostrils; a smell that was obviously coming from the toilet.

"Wow; I knew you were full of shit, but I never imagined this." Fury said in mockery as the figure trapped within the cell approached; his bald head reflecting the glow from the cell bars.

Lex Luthor cast Nick Fury a look of contempt, the smell of fecal matter strong within the cell. "Gloat while you may, General. While that Alien menace is still out there; no one is safe." Lex said as he moved away from the bars and sat down on his chair. "Or have your men finally finished analyzing my armors capacities?" Fury and Coulson exchanged a quick glance at each other; Fury was certain his orders had been that the prisoner was to have ZERO contact with SHIELD personnel; and Coulson was positive that those orders had been followed, and that Mr. Luthor was more tactical than they had anticipated.

"That's classified." Fury said with a smug grin as he approached the plasma bars. "The armor you used against the Avengers has been seized by the United States government; any and all things done to it now are at the behest of the President." The smile across Fury's face began to mock Lex Luthor; who sat at his chair with a face which held back the blind rage he felt at his captor. "In short; your armor is mine now. So shut up about it." As Fury spoke, Coulson reached into his jacket pocket and removed a small white envelope; handing it to Fury, who took it without breaking eye contact with Luthor. "This is about what you can do to help your own situation." Still without looking away from his captive Fury removed a piece of paper from the small envelope, "This is a letter from the President; against my advice, he's willing to make a trade with you." Fury handed the envelope back to Coulson, who took it as Fury began to unfold the letter.

Lex stood up from the place he was sitting and casually walked up to the plasma bars which burned brightly; as Lex came within a foot of the bar he stopped. A spiteful look was etched into his deep green eyes as his mouth formed a mockful smile. His lower jaw pulled itself back as Lex began to take a long, deep snort; and after a moment Lex spat into the plasma. The saliva turning to steam as it collided with the bar. The mocking smile was still on Lex's face as Fury looked at him with complete contempt.

Fury turned on his spot and began to quickly leave the room; swearing to Coulson as he followed. As the door shut closed behind them, Lex was once again alone with his thoughts. "Smug ass. If you only knew what I have planned for you. You insufferable, senile, old coot."

Day 2/ Part 16 10:30 AM

Hank Pym was busy using a small hand held device to scan the streets for any trace of 'Pym Particles' which were particles that appeared when mass alteration was performed. Superman and Ms. Marvel were on aerial watch; with Spiderman and Luke Cage doing sweeps of the alleys around the target site. Cyclops followed Antman, watching his back as the scientist performed his sweep.

"You're sure this is where it'll happen?" Cyclops called out to Antman as Luke Cage appeared out of a small alley at the end of the road, giving a thumbs up to indicate the area ahead was clear.

"My readings aren't picking up anything in terms of Pym Particles. I am getting this weird interference though. Can't quite make it out." Antman admitted as he began to tweak the settings on his device. As Cyclops came up behind him, a loud ping noise came out of Cyclops's belt. "What the heck was that?" Hank asked, surprised by the noise.

Cyclops reached down to his waist and removed the X-badge from his belt. He looked over the device quickly, "It was an emergency alarm; it's designed to pick up the chaos magic energy signature of the Scarlet Witch. Beast put it together when he heard she was working with Magneto." Antman looked at Cyclops confused. "I couldn't tell you why it's buzzing now. Hopefully we don't have to deal with Magneto and his Brotherhood."

"Can I see that?" Antman asked as he reached out to Cyclops's badge. Cyclops happily handed it over, yet once Hank had a good look at the readings, his eyes went wide with disbelief as he looked over both devices. "Oh no. This isn't good." Antman said as he began to work both devices with one in each hand.

"What is it?" Cyclops said with worry as he watched Antman work away on his analysis. "Should I call back the team?"

"I think that's a good idea." Antman said as he handed Cyclops back his badge, at which point Cyclops recalled the team from their positions before Antman continued. "From what I can tell, all of this chaos magic as you called it is having very exotic effects. It seems to permeating from... well everywhere." Hank Pym's device began to make a loud repeated dinging noise as it began to pick up a surge of Pym Particles.

There was a flash of red light that came from behind them; and in a second the light began to recede; and as it did there was a vicious roar the echoed through the air. Antman and Cyclops turned on their spots to the sight of a large blue triceratops with a saddle on it; and upon the saddle was a man with purple skin, adorned in a strange technologically advanced armor which almost seemed to fuse into his skin. "For the technocracy!" The man upon the prehistoric steed called out as he charged forward.

Cyclops instinctually reached up to his visor and launched a concentrated optic blast towards the rider. The blast collided with the riders exposed face, causing him to fly off of his triceratops and crash into the ground behind it. The mount continued to charge forwards; Cyclops readied his optic blast, but before he could unleash it, the triceratops was stopped in its tracks, as a red cape flapped from the force caused by the steed colliding with the man wearing it. "Superman!" Cyclops called out, "You're in the way of my shot. Stand down."

"Don't worry." Superman called back with a playful tone. "He's not such a bad dinosaur; he just doesn't like the saddle." A strong hand reached over to the harness on the triceratops's mouth, and with a light tug Superman removed it. The dinosaur's demeanor changed instantly from trying to resist Superman, to a passive submissive state as the creature began to sit down in front of the Man of Steel. "See." Superman said, looking back to Cyclops with a wide smile across his face. "He seems tired." Superman said as the dinosaur let out a yawn before resting its head on the street.

"My god," the voice of Luke Cage laughed out as he approached the scene; "The things that I see here;" Luke said as he turned to see Ms Marvel float up beside him; a wide smile across her face as they both observed Superman and his new friend, "I love this city." Luke chuckled to himself as the whisper of Spiderman's webs-shooter filled the air, followed shortly by the sight of him landing on a nearby building and sticking to its wall.

"Dude. You just tamed a dinosaur! You really are super, man." Spidey said as everyone seemed to stop and look at Spiderman; Luke even stopped chuckling and glared at Spidey with disapproval. "Yeah, sorry. I'll make up for that; I promise." Spidey said as he hung his head; feeling slightly stupid for allowing such a bad pun come out of his mouth.

Luke Cage began to approach Superman, "Can you believe this guy?" Luke called out to Superman as he motioned towards Spiderman; Superman however did not respond, he only stood there, unmoving. "Hey, something wrong?" Luke said in a worried tone as he reached out and placed a hand on Supermans shoulder; when Superman did not react, Luke moved around to his side and noticed that there was a horrified look on Supermans face. "You okay? You look like you've seen a gh-" In an instant Supermans fingers were wrapped around Luke Cage's throat; his fingers constraining Luke's indestructible skin.

"You've killed them!" Superman shouted in a fit of anger; sorrow filling his voice as his grip tightened on Luke's throat.

"Superman!" Cyclops shouted with mixed anger and worry as he approached Superman; everyone else was also shocked at what was happening. "Stop! What are you doing?"

"You've killed all of them!" Superman shouted as he looked up to Cyclops. "I wont let you get away with this!" Supermans voice was stern, tears started to form in his eyes as he took off into the sky. He held Luke in front of him as he gained height; Luke struggled as much as he could against Supermans grip, yet the more he struggled, the tighter Superman would squeeze against his windpipe; and Luke was finding it hard to keep himself conscious.

The two had climbed so high into the sky that Luke was sure they were higher than most sky scrapers. "What are you doing?" Luke struggled to say through the Man of Steels unbreakable grip. Yet Superman looked at Luke, tears and rage swirling in his eyes as they began to burn with a red intensity.

"I will make you pay for what you've done here." Supermans voice was deep and filled with contempt. He reared back his hand which held Luke, and with a powerful throw he sent Luke Cage soaring back to the Earth beneath them. Superman watched as Luke Cage went, his eyes coursing with the power of the sun; and with a cry of grief, Superman unleashed a powerful heat blast from his eyes towards his remaining team members on the ground.

The other New Avengers watched on in horror at what was happening; and as Luke came descending back to the ground; Cyclops called out, "Marvel; get him!" pointing towards their falling team-mate. Ms Marvel took off; but as she did the others noticed a bright red glow coming from where Superman was, up in the sky a beam of heat energy was coming towards them. "Everybody, scatter!" Cyclops called out as he reached up to his visor and adapted the power output on it to maximum.

As the rest of the team got to a safe location, Spiderman looked back to the sight of Cyclops standing at ground zero for the blast. "Cyc? What are you doing?" Spiderman called out as the blast neared.

Cyclops tried not to hear him; he looked up to the raging blast of heat that grew closer to him with every seconds. As he felt the heat; a flash went through his mind, a memory; a bird of fire engulfed him as he cried out for the one he'd never see again. His fists clenched; his head jerked upwards towards the blast as he reached up to his visor with both hands and removing it from his face. His eyes opened wide as they sizzled with the tears that came with the memory. A shout of pain escaped Cyclops as an optic blast pulsated from his eyes to collide with the heat blast from Superman.

Spiderman watched on in terror; feeling absolutely helpless. He couldn't get Cyclops out of there without risking both of their lives; and Superman was going berserk for some reason. This day had quickly taken a serious turn from wicked, to bad.

((Wtf? What is happening? Superman has gone Psycho? Or is there something sinister at play here? If you've kept up with my side stories you should be able to figure it out ;) if you haven't then you'll have to wait to the next chapter to find out what's gotten into the Man of Steel. Hope you all enjoyed the new chapter :) )).


	8. Fear, Hate, Doubt

((OOC: Okay so here's the next chapter. It's going to be a lot different from what I've traditionally put out, and the concept work for it took me a long time; just working out how have the chapter play out turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected. I've done at least three or four revisions at this point and now I think I've finally got the 'best' version of events.))

((Authors Note: I feel the need to remind the reader at this point in the story that these characters are non-canon characters; and that while I take inspiration from many stories and comic book canons; I try to inject my own history into the heroes as I go to help build a version of the character that is fundamentally different from any other interpretation of those characters))

Chapter 8:

**Day 2/ Part 17 10:40 AM**

Cyclops unleashed the fury of his optic blasts into the raging hell-storm that was caused by the collision with Supermans heat-vision. The leader of the X-Men poured everything he had into the blast; reaching his hand to his visor and releasing the power inhibitors, removing his visor and allowing his full energy to pour out. Yet the increase in power was still not enough to curb the progression of Supermans powerful blast.

As Cyclops fought on, a sense of helpless terror came over him as he could see Supermans heat blast was not being pushed back; yet was drawing closer still. Cyclops had assumed that Superman was a physical power-house, and hadn't imagined that his meta-physical powers would be so overwhelming. Soon he could feel the heat from Supermans blast as it crept closer to him.

As the heat hit Cyclops' face it brought back a memory. The intensity of the heat; the feeling of helplessness and despair...just like Jean...

"You miss her so." A deep voice whispered in the back of his mind as he continued to push himself. "What great pain you feel for this woman. You know you couldn't have saved her. You are too weak to save her." The voice sounded like it was mocking him. Cyclops began to enrage himself at the idea of someone taking pleasure in his pain and grief.

Cyclops shouted out with a scream that pierced the ears of any who heard it, filling them with a fractional understanding of the pain that Scott Summers felt. His eye beams began to intensify as it ripped through Supermans heat-vision blast, knocking Superman back. Soon his own optic blast stopped as Scott Summers fell to his knees; taking in deep breaths as he tried to center himself, slowly the details of his current situation began to flow unnoticed from and his gaze; and when he brought his gaze upward, lifting his visor back to his face; centered was the furthest thing from his mind.

Before Cyclops was the sight of his beloved Jean Grey; adorned in the same black Phoenix uniform she had been wearing upon her death; yet she was alive, and being surrounded by SHIELD Agents. "Jean?" Scott whispered as he felt a sudden bolt of strength come over him. He had no idea where she had come from, he wasn't even sure"Stay away from her!" Scott shouted out as he readied his ocular beams and blasted the SHIELD Agents away from Jean.

"Jean; are you alright?" Scott Summers called out in fear and anticipation as he approached her; the person he thought he had lost forever. Before Scott could get too close to her, Jean lifted her hand into the air in a choking motion, and suddenly Cyclops could feel his windpipe become restricted; as if a Steel vice-grip held him by the throat. "Jean...st-Stop. Please." Scott pleaded as a horrifying laugh escaped Jeans lips.

"You foolish creature. What makes you think that the most powerful being in the universe would settle for a nothing like you." Jean tossed Cyclops to the ground with such force that several of his ribs cracked on impact. Jean approached Cyclops as he lay crippled in the ground; still unsure of what was happening.

"I never needed you Scott. The X-Men never needed you; and when you're gone, no one will cry a tear." Were the last words Scott Summers heard before he felt himself slip out of consciousness.

_Meanwhile, at Xavier Mansion..._

Professor Xavier was suddenly left motionless in his classroom; a group of eager young mutants patiently awaiting the next piece of knowledge from Plato's Republic. "I'm sorry students. I'm going to call for a prolonged break before we continue. I'll call you all when its time." Xavier said as the students began to talk amongst themselves as they left the room, followed shortly by Xavier.

Xavier made his way to the hidden elevator which would lead him down to Cerebro. As he exited the elevator, he bumped into Beast and Wolverine making their way back from the Danger- Room. "Hey Chuck." Logan said as they crossed paths; noticing Xaviers displaced demenour. "Something wrong?"

Xavier looked back to them with a look of foreboding worry. "There is a presence in Manhattan. Something that can manipulate the minds of others; yet something that does not leave the usual psychic signature." Xavier turned and continued his way to Cerebro; Logan and Hank McCoy.

"Are you sure Professor? What makes you think this?" Beast said as the doors to Cerebro parted open.

"I have been in contact with Scott since he left the Mansion earlier this morning. As you know; due to our close relationship since his childhood, and his prolonged exposure to psychic resonance from both Jean and myself; he and I have an extended bond where I can contact him across distances without the use of Cerebro." Xavier explained as he approached the panel where the Cerebro interface headpiece rested.

"We don't need the history lesson Chuck. I'm just glad you can't poke into my head from half way across the city. I never stick around long enough for us to bond more than is necessary" Logan said with half a grunt as he unleashed the first claw on his right hand and used it to prepare one of his stoggies. "My question is; if someone can manipulate someone's head without bein' a brain case like Chuck; then how 'er they doin' it?"

"That is what I intend to find out." Xavier said as he lifted the headpiece and placed it upon his brow. "Now if you two wouldn't mind; I will need all of my concentration to find this person; and if their power is something that I cannot combat, I will send out my X-Men to assist."

"We will be ready Professor. But I must advise against using Cerebro until we know the extend to which Magneto and his Brotherhood affected it." Beast said with concern; Xavier casting him a smile.

"I had Forge do a full check of the systems. He found all of the components that Mystique had planted. He and I tested it earlier. It is quite safe; I assure you." Xavier said with great pride in Forge's handiwork.

"Then I will go and ready the others." Beast said with vigor before springing from the room. Logan put the stogie in his mouth and began to thumb around his pockets for his lighter.

"You're not smoking that in here Logan. It's been thirty years now; I'd have thought you'd have learned by now." Charles said with a smile as Logan turned and began to leave.

"Like I said; I don't stick around long enough Chuck." Logan said before the doors closed behind him; and to Logans surprise; his lighter was hovering just above his head; suspended by Xaviers mental power. "Always a step ahead." Logan said hoarsely as he plucked his lighter from the air.

_Back to your Friendly Neighborhood you know who..._

Spiderman pulled himself up from the ground; having been blasted away by Cyclops when he and the others went to approach Superman. After a quick look around Spidey quickly found that most of his team was unaccounted for.

"Jean; are you alright?" Spiderman heard Cyclops say, causing Spidey to turn around and see the leader of the X-Men approached Superman; who quickly caught Cyclops by the throat and tossed him to the ground with violent force.

"Summers!" The voice of Hank Pym called out from behind Spiderman, "Spidey; what the hell is going on? Why has your buddy started tearing my team apart? Again?" Hank shouted with anger as Spiderman put his hands up in defense.

"Hank; I'm not sure what's going on," Spidey began, but his Spider-sense brought his attention to incoming danger, "but you need to make your whole body go limp right now!" Spidey said with great haste as he shot a webline behind him, then grabbing hold of AntMan pulled them both out of the way of Supermans fist as he came barreling towards them, planting his fist in the ground where the two used to be.

Spidermans feet hit solid ground; and he quickly put AntMan back on his own feet. "Seriously Doc; I have no idea what's gotten into him, but it must have happened to Cyclops too. We need to regroup with Luke and Marvel to get our heads together." Spidey said as he began to look around for his team-mates.

"You think you have all the answers don't you?" Hank Pyms voice was low, with the same tone that Spiderman had heard in his voice when Hank had fought Superman during the battle with the Avengers (see "The Marvelous Adventure of Superman"). "I hate how you think you're smarter than me Spidey." Antman said as his size began to increase. Spiderman turned around with a look of complete shock and AntMan reared his hand back; standing nearly four stories high.

"Gulp." Spidey said breathlessly as he instinctively sent a ball of webbing flying into Hank Pyms eyes. Causing the giant of a man to stumble backwards. "Yep. Still really good at that." Spiderman said with slight bravado before he felt himself pushed forward slightly by a powerful gust of wind. AntMan was suddenly struck in the chest and sent flying to the ground as Superman collided with his chest.

For a moment Spiderman watched Superman began to lift AntMan off of the ground; even though Antman was still over four stories in height, feeling fear begin to set in. Had he made a mistake in trusting Superman? As Spiderman watched he looked at Supermans face, wondering why his friend was doing this; and that's when he saw the tears in his eyes. Superman was crying.

Superman, still holding AntMan over his head, began to ascend into the air, flying higher and higher until they were lost behind the clouds. Spiderman used the chance to begin looking for Luke Cage or Ms. Marvel; they had to be around here somewhere.

As he made his way to where Cyclops still lay on the ground, Spiderman could see Luke Cage, the Indestructible Man, sitting casually against a building. His face looked vacant, and his eyes full of despair.

"Luke!?" Spiderman said with worry as he approached; grabbing hold of Lukes shoulder and giving him a gentle nudge. "Luke, we seriously need a battle plan right now. I know I usually make fun of you for those folders of battle tactics you review like a foot-ball coach; but now would be a great time for you to bust open your golden play-book." Luke turned his head, and faced Spiderman with the same vacant expression.

"It doesn't matter Spidey; it never mattered. We can never help them all. And even if we do; what do we accomplish?" Luke said with such sorrow in his voice that Spiderman was taken back. "We fight, we die, and no one ever learns. We're better off just giving up; I say we just sit back, and let oblivion come."

"Luke? What's wrong with you? I've never known you to just give up and die." Spiderman grabbed Lukes arm and began to lift it over his shoulder. "You can't give up on us now. I don't know what happening but you have to fight it." Spiderman began to walk through the streets as fast as he could with Luke over his shoulder.

"There's no point in fighting Spidey. You should know that better than anyone." Luke said as his head hung to his chest; Spiderman still pulling him along.

"I should have grabbed Cyclops. If I knew his injuries weren't severe enough to move him; at least I wouldn't have to listen to the Debby-Downer." Spiderman said in a joking expression, but Lukes head still hung. Spidermans attention was suddenly captured by what sounded like sobbing; a woman sobbing. Spiderman dragged Luke into the alleyway the noise was coming from, only to find Ms. Marvel, curled up into a ball and crying into her lap. Spiderman placed Luke down in the alley before approaching.

"Carol? It's Peter." Spiderman said as he approached. "What's wrong?" Spiderman began to reach his hand to Carols shoulder, yet when he touched her, she instantly recoiled from him with a shriek.

"No!" She screamed, sobbing continually while she did. Spiderman instantly moved away from her as she began to cry into her lap again. "No more tests. Please; I don't know what they did to me. Just no more tests. No more!" She screamed as she concentrated her energy into her palm and sent an energy blast directly into Spidermans chest; sending him soaring out of the alleyway and into the wall of an adjacent building before falling to the ground.

Spiderman began to pick himself up "I'm done with getting blasted in the chest. I should invest in some light-weight armor; I mean first that goon Luthor, and now my ex? Good thing Carol was holding back. Though I've never seen her so afraid; or Luke so depressed. And Hank; well I knew he had a temper; but I never thought he hated me." Spiderman said out-loud, hoping that hearing the words would help make the whole situation clearer. That's when a large body on the rooftops caught his eye.

The being called out to Spiderman. "I have made example of your worlds defenders. You have been made to witness it. When I am done with you; you will tell others of my power, and of how I dispatched of the AntMan and his insignificant team." After the being was done speaking he pressed several buttons on a panel he had on his wrist, and Spiderman could see the large shape of Hank Pym falling from the sky behind the being. This however was replaced with darkness in an instant.

Spiderman looked around; there was still dirt beneath his feet, but beyond his immediate area, all he could see was blackness. Spiderman began to cautiously make his way, the expanding darkness reminding him of one other encounter he had in his travels. "Madam Webb? If this is you, please stop."

"Afraid not... Peter." The voice was low, and echoed out from every inch of the darkness. A shiver crawled up Peters spine as he recognized the lingering whisper in his ear.

"No." Spiderman gasped as his hairs began to stand up; his stomach twisting as his palms began to sweat. "It can't be." A figure began to form from out of the dark; long blonde hair hung from an almost skeletal head; still wearing the Sunday dress she had been buried in. "Gwen?"

The figure lunged towards Spiderman; grabbing at his arms and forcing him to the ground. "You killed me Peter! How could you ever have called me your friend? How dare you claim to have ever loved me! You killed me!"

**Day 2/ Part 17 10:55 AM**

Back at Xavier Mansion, deep within the hidden hanger which housed the X-Jet; the X-Men had gathered and awaited word from Xavier. Beast was talking with Storm at the ramp for the jet; Kitty Pride and Nightcrawler were at the rear tire of the jet, flirting with eachother. The noise made by the two lovebirds, along with the scent of Kitty's perfume, made Logans nose curl as he smoked his cigar, which was now half gone.

Rogue and Colossus were busy accusing Gambit of stealing tickets to a viewing of "The Book of Mormon"; Gambit held onto his innocence, despite their accusations. Shortly after though, the door to the hangar opened as Xavier entered with the Iceman at his side.

"My X-Men," Xavier began, his head hanging slightly; "the situation has changed." Xavier raised his head as he looked among his most trusted students. "I have determined that it is not a psychic who is at work in Manhattan Island; but a device of unknown origin. This device is capable of manipulating the brain-waves and the mind of others in a way that I am unable to breach. Even with Cerebro I was unable to break the heroes from the devices power." Xavier ran his hand over his face, covering his eyes as he remembered the horrible emotions that had run through him.

"We can't just give up on Scott." Nightcrawler said as he clenched his fists; he knew that in the reversed situation, Cyclops would do everything he could to save any one of them.

"We aren't giving up on him." Xavier exclaimed with a touch of anger in his voice. "But I will not send the rest of you in unprotected from this device. I placed certain mental safeguards into Scott, and into all of you; to keep your minds from being influenced by powers like my own. But whatever this device is it bypassed Scotts safeguards; and it will do the same to every one of you." Xavier finished as he reached up to his eyes and rubbed at his forehead; it wasn't often that he felt himself at such a loss.

"I have an idea Professor." Hank McCoy spoke up; "I was able to obtain a small quantity of the same material Magneto used in his helmet; a material which disrupts psionic energy. I may be able to fashion the material we have into at most one helmet of our own; to protect one of us from this mystery machine." A smile crept over Xaviers face.

"Our fortune increases. Meet Forge in his lab; he will assist you in any way he can my old friend." Xavier said as Hank McCoy leaped past him, darting out the door at an incredible speed. "And work fast Beast; I don't know how much longer Cyclops and the others will be able to hold on."

Luke Cage still lay, unmoving like a corpse in the midst of the alley that Spiderman had left him in. Not ten feet away from the Indestructible PowerMan lay Ms. Marvel; still sobbing, begging an invisible torturer to stop.

Scott Summers still lay shifting in a heap of rubble; the fire from his memory burning, ushering back and forth through consciousness. AntMan had been brought into the shore by the tide; still standing (or rather, laying) over six stories tall; several beach-goers took pictures, which would later appear on the internet with the tag-line 'AntMan? More like the Beached Whale.'

Superman was floating in mid air; punching at invisible opponents as tears fell from his eyes. "You wont get away with this, you monster!" He shouted as he began to speed through the skyline, chasing after nothing.

Spiderman sat next to a garbage can by the street; his hands covering his face as he cowered; his voice whispered in a terrified hush, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

From a top the building where Spiderman had seen him, the PsychoMan stood and watched with a sinister smile on his face as he admired his handiwork. The Control-Box; his device which was able to bend the emotions of others, had made quick work of these heroes. He was glad to have won the day without the need of exerting his own physical prowess.

Since witnessing the capabilities of the 'Superman'; PsychoMan began to wonder of what exactly his connection was to the man named Palmer, who called himself 'The Atom'. The one who had invaded the micro-verse in search of his lost companion had been made an example of, but when the whelp had managed to escape back to whatever plain of existence he came from; the PsychoMan followed. Unfortunately he had not expected them to put up such a fight (For more information, check out 'The Search for Superman'). PsychoMan was determined to find his way back to Palmer and claim him as his prize.

There was a sudden noise behind the PsychoMan which caught his attention; he turned swiftly around to a strange sight, for before him was a man clad in white, bearing a golden etched dragon into his shirts chest; with a yellow mask covering the top portion of his face and hair. The man stood, and stared the PsychoMan down with a strong gaze. "What have you done here?" Danny Rand; AKA The Iron Fist, in a strong voice he called out; demanding an answer with his tone. PsychoMan grinned as he took several steps closer to his new foe.

"I have done what I am best at; making examples of those who defy my might." He began; "I have taken your cities heroes and beaten them without throwing a single blow." His gloating was obvious; and it made Danny Rands fist clench. The PsychoMan noticed the reaction; his grin widening as he reached down to his Control-Box. "That angers you? Good; tell me honestly, does it make you hate me?" With the wave of his finger, the PsychoMan activated his device, targeting Iron Fist with its emotion controlling powers.

A wave of euphoria fell over Iron Fist as his eyes rolled back into his head; for a moment it seemed like PsychoMans victory was assured; but as Iron Fist opened his eyes again, instead of seeing the glazed look that PsychoMan was used to seeing in the victims of the Control-Box, Iron Fist was still glaring towards PsychoMan; the look of anger turned to one of almost serenity.

"Hate." Iron Fist began, and with a single fluent move his fists connected with the PsychoMans chest; the monsters strange armor cracking under Iron Fists glowing hands. "Hate is beaten by love." Another fist came around and connected with the PsychoMans face, sending the villain stumbling backwards. "Fear; is bested by courage." Iron Fists voice echoed from behind the PsychoMan as a swift kick connected with the side of the villains head. "And doubt;" Iron fist shouted as he jumped into the air, "is overcome by hope!"

A strong knee collided with the side of PsychoMans head as he fell to the floor, his helmet cracking under the might of Iron Fists attack. The villains vision began to blur as he looked around, it had been a long time since he had felt a blow of such magnitude; clearly there was more to this creature before him than he could see with his own eyes. "You are... strong, little man. But you are too late to save them." PsychoMan said with a wide grin across his face.

"Enough." Danny said in a irritated tone as his mystical fist slammed PsychoMans head into the roof. Danny took a deep breath as the mystical energy of the dragon began to dissipate from his fist. He glared down at the unconscious villain before him; anger swelling behind his eyes as he continued to fight against the effects of PsychoMans Control-Box. Iron Fists eyes soon came upon the device on PsychoMans wrist; so much devastation wrought through such a simple looking thing.

_Moments Earlier..._

"You killed me Peter!" The skeletal visage of Gwen Stacey screeched at Spiderman as he cowered in shame and fear. "Why did you kill me Peter? You're supposed to be the smart one! How could you do this to me?" The voice echoed all around as Gwens skeleton fingers wrapped around Spidermans wrist.

"No! It was an accident Gwen! Please believe me!" Peter shouted as he pulled his arm away from Gwen, forcing her arm out of its place as it still clung to Spidermans arm, flailing about as he tried desperately to remove it. "Get off of me!" Peter screamed as he tore the arm off of him; then turning on his spot and running as fast as his feet could carry him.

He ran through the darkness, not knowing where he was going, only knowing he wanted to get as far away as he could. Though the darkness was unwelcoming, and every step felt to Spiderman like it took him one step closer to oblivion. His fear took hold as a deep scream echoed out from the dark in front of him; causing his feet to stumble as he tripped to the ground. He lifted his head and gazed into the darkness, the sound of sliding boots edging closer to him. "Not you." Spiderman whispered as a man in a charred astronaut suit stepped out of the dark.

"Hey Spidey; I'm a big fan, despite what my dad prints about you." The hollowed out voice of John J. Jameson Jr. said as he stepped closer, exposing his charred face. "That's what I said to you once...You still couldn't save me though. What good was having faith in you?" Spiderman cradled his head into his arms as he turned away from the horrible sight; only to be faced by what seemed like an army of shadows emerging from behind him. One after the other began to take shape as another person Peter knew, first Aunt May, then Betty, then Flash Thompson; each of them showed signs of what had ended their lives. "You wont be able to save any of them. In the end, they'll all die because of you." The voice of Jameson Jr. echoed through the dark as Spiderman began to crawl towards the only space he could find where he was not haunted by the dead.

As Spiderman crawled, his eyes came across a familiar pair of brown loafers, causing his heart to skip. "No." Peter said as his eyes came up on the figures knees, then; as if his neck had frozen in place; his gaze fixated upon the knees of his Uncle Bens blue jeans. "Not you too." Peter whispered as he felt tears begin to swell behind his eye; his neck still paralyzed and unable to look at what horror was in store from his most treasured of memories. His fists clenched as he pushed back the tears. "You were always there for me. Always the first one to come to my side when I was in trouble; and the first to scold me when I had done something wrong." Peter unclenched his fists as his gaze flowed back down to Uncle Bens loafers; his neck still unable to lift itself. "I know I've messed up. I know that I've been irresponsible sometimes, but I never wanted anyone to die." Peter couldn't fight back the tears anymore as they began to stream down his face. "I don't care if it's a nightmare. It's you. I love you Uncle Ben!" Peter shouted as he gathered all of his courage and hauled himself off of the ground; throwing himself into the arms of his Uncle Ben. Peters eyes were closed shut as he began to cry profusely; digging his face into Uncle Bens shoulder. "I wont ever let myself be afraid of you Uncle Ben."

Peters eyes were still closed shut; his sobs causing his grip to tighten. Soon Peter felt a strange warmth overtake his chest as a long sigh escaped his breath. As soon as Peter breathed out, there was a divine light that began to shine from all around. "It's okay Pete." The voice didn't sound like the others did. Peters eyes shot open, he could see his Uncle Bens hair pushing against the side of his face. "You're doing great. Get back out there and show them what for." The voice filled Peter with a sense of joy that he couldn't have imagined; he pulled his Uncle Ben away so that he could look into the face of the man who had raised him.

Spiderman was shocked when in the next moment he found himself standing in the middle of the rubble-ridden street, Scott Summers shifting in the rubble before him. "What?" Spiderman whispered as he tried to compose himself. His mind quickly began to race backwards through the nightmare he had just experienced; his head was spinning as if he had just woke from a deep sleep. Soon his recollection brought him back to the events that had transpired between the other members of the New Avengers, and how they all seemed to be lost within their own minds...just like he had been.

A rage began to swell in Spiderman as he pieced together what was going on. A web-line flew out of his wrist, and with a strong tug Spiderman came soaring up to a nearby rooftop and landed violently upon the roof. His eyes instinctively went up to the sky as his Spider-sense began to go haywire. It didn't take Spiderman long to find a streak of red zooming back and forth. "I've got you CK." Spiderman said with determination as he jumped from the building and with two quick web-zips, he landed again on another rooftop.

"Spiderman!" A familiar and friendly voice called out from behind him. Spiderman turned around to a face he had not expected to ever see again.

"Fist?!" Peter called as he quickly blinked and rubbed at his eyes; unsure of what he was seeing to be real. "Are... are you real?" Spiderman asked cautiously, his gaze moving over the strange looking being that lay unconscious before Iron Fist.

"I can assure you I am. I know that this mans device has been altering our minds; but I am unsure of what I can do remedy its influence on the others. I am surprised to find you free of its influence." Iron Fist said as he approached Spiderman, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. Iron Fist could feel the tension running through Spiderman, who did not respond with his usual wise-crack. "Peter... are you alright?" Iron Fist with worry.

"I'm fine. We have to figure out how to shut that thing down Fist; if we don't then we're going to have bigger problems on our hands than emotional issues." Spiderman said with a tinge of anger in his voice as he turned around and began to survey the sky.

"I don't understand. We have stopped the villain from pursuing any more action against us." Iron Fist said as he and Spiderman moved towards PsychoMan and began to approach the Control-Box on his arm.

"It's not the villain we need to worry about Fist... trust me, the sooner we shut this down, the safer we'll be." In almost an instant after Spiderman spoke, a shadow appeared around them; as if something was blotting out the sun. Spiderman and IronFist turned around to see the flapping red cape, the eyes filled with sadness and anger; both glazed over and piercing in their intent. "CK."

"You've killed them!" Superman shouted as he slammed into the roof, cratering the concrete beneath him as he stood before the two heroes. "I don't know how you brought me back so soon; but you'll pay for everything you've done here Brainiac." Superman shouted as his eyes began to sizzle as the tears were burned up by the forming heat-blast.

**Day 2/ Part 17 11:10 AM**

((So to anyone who may have gotten confused; the Control-Box used by PsychoMan induces a state of emotional weakness in his victims which causes hallucinations and can turn the target into a frenzy; as is evident as whats going on with Superman here. Also Xavier is unable to combat its effects because he does not understand how this device operates; once he figures it though, that might be a different story...))


	9. Steel Jaw VS Iron Fist

Chapter 9:

**Day 2/ Part 18 11:10 AM**

"Who is he supposed to be?" Iron Fist said with mixed fear and curiosity as he and Spiderman both entered a readied stance, both preparing for Superman to make good on the promise made by the angry look in his eyes.

"He's the guy who's so nice that he apologized to the Avengers after they attacked him. But with the device playing with his head, he looks like he's out for blood." Spiderman said as he watched Supermans fists clench. "Get ready to move."

Not a moment after Spiderman had finished talking, Superman had a hand on both of their necks and had hoisted them into the air; his eyes began to pulse with a red glow. "I knew this would happen." Superman said with a powerful tone of grief and hate. "I wont let you get away with it." Supermans fingers began to tighten around the throats of Spiderman and Iron Fist; the two began to squirm as they fought against Supermans grip.

Iron Fist began to focus himself, concentrating all of his energy into his right hand as he began to form a fist. His fist began to shine with a bright yellow glow that blinded Spiderman from his place beside him. Iron Fist watched Supermans face as he collected his energy, preparing the technique that had been passed down from his masters at K'un-Lun; the technique that had been named after his title ages past. To Danny Rands surprise, Superman did not pay any notice to the magical energy that now swirled in his hand.

"Danny." Spiderman called out in a broken gasp; "Wait." Spiderman gripped hold of Supermans arm, then began to shout at the top of his lungs. "I know you can hear me! You have to snap out of it!" Supermans fingers began to tighten around Spiderman and Irons Fists necks.

"I dont... think... he heard you." Danny said through broken gasps as he tried to keep his focus; he couldn't maintain his energy for long.

Spiderman continued to shout, his voice obviously constrained by Supermans grip. "I know you're afraid... of what might happen while your gone." Supermans eyes began to glow with a pulsing red. "I know... you doubt if your friends... can handle things without you." Supermans eyes began to steam as tears continued to pour from his eyes. "And if there's one thing... you hate... it's not being able... to help those that need you." Spiderman could feel the grip around his neck loosen. "But you have to stop! No one dies today! Do you hear me you big boy-scout! No one!"

For a moment, a strange sensation washed over Supermans face; as if something horrible was happening before his eyes. "Peter?" He whispered in an agonizing whimper. "H-help me. Make it stop."

Moments seemed to pass as Superman held the two by the neck; the look of agony on his face digging in as his cape flapped slowly in the wind. There was a flash of light; then from out of the side of Spidermans vision, he saw Danny Rand throw his patented Iron Fist technique; his fist colliding directly with Supermans nose. For what seemed like an eternity, the attack held firmly place on its mark. Then, Danny Randy let out a pain-filled cry as he pulled his fist back from Supermans face, showing that it had been completely deformed. Supermans eyes began to roll into the back of his head as he released his grip upon the two; and all three of them began to fall backwards, Spiderman being the only one to land on his feet.

Spiderman quickly went to Iron Fists aid; who continued to scream in pain as he gripped at what used to be his hand. "It's okay Fist; I'm ending this." Spiderman said with resolve as he turned back towards Psycho-Man. "I'm sick and tired of this damn gizmo!" Spiderman shouted as he ran towards his unconscious opponent; bringing his fist back and then bringing it down with as much force as he could muster onto the Control Box. There was a large crackle of energy as he box began to break under Spidermans might;followed by the sound of Psycho-Mans arm snapping at the wrist. The Psycho-Man awoke with a shout that was pale in comparison to that of Iron Fist. "Yeah, so your arm got broken." Spiderman said with a tone of anger as he brought his fist around again, this time knocking Psycho-Man back out. "Because of you; all of this happened." Spiderman said as he gazed down towards the now destroyed Control Box... all of this because of a little box.

Spidermans spider-sense went off and then; 'Bamf' The strange sound echoed from behind Spiderman as he turned around; his blood still pumping and his body taking a battle-ready stance. He however, turned to the sight of Nightcrawler wearing a yellow version of Magnetos helmet with a blue outline. "Am I too late to help?" Kurt asked with a sense of worry as he looked at Spiderman; his two rapiers in his hands as he turned to the shouts of Iron Fist and then examining the scene around him. "It seems I have come just in time."

**Day 2/ Part 19 12:45 PM**

Nick Fury was staring down Spiderman in the Avengers debriefing room, Spidermans mask was off and Peter held his head up high with a determined look on his face. "Scott Summers; on recovery for five weeks." Fury said with a tone of anger and displeasure that was high above his regular. "Hank Pym; medical leave for three weeks. And he's somehow become an internet meme in the course of an hour." Fury said as he pointed to a picture on the desk of Antman, the size of a whale passed out on a beach. "And don't get me started on what happened to Danny Rand. We still don't know how long he'll be out of action." Fury added as he hung his head in disgust.

"I'm aware of what happened out there. I think the point you're forgetting is that they're all alive." Spiderman said with a resentful tone. "We were supposed to be out there helping Pym with a science project. We were totally unprepared for a mental attack."

"You seem to be missing the bigger picture here Parker." Fury said with agitation as Peters face became tense. "This is the second incident we've had in almost as many days where Superman has been in active combat against out team." Peters confusion was made evident by the look on his face. "And before you even think about defending him; think about the mess of his I had to clean up yesterday when he stranded you on the roof with Kraven." Peters face turned from one of confusion, to one of anger. He knew Fury was watching him; he didn't need him gloating about it.

"He saved Xavier from being kidnapped. What the hell did you have to do?" Peters voice began to carry a resentful tone.

"Hours after Superman showed his face at Xavier mansion, pictures of it surfaced. People tried putting an anti-mutant spin onto it. Saying that Superman is actually a new kind of mutant and is working to establish a new world order with the X-Men. I can't tell you how much it cost Uncle Sam to keep those pictures under wrap." Nick Fury said in a calm and soothing voice; which scared Peter Parker to his core. "I don't know why I have to spell this out for you hero-types. We; meaning S.H.I.E.L.D. are not the bad guys. And the fact that we are watching you; means that we're not the only ones watching you." Peters eyes began to widen as Fury continued. "A.I.M. has had their own satellite up-link for the past six months. Hydras Intelligence division is still being dissolved by my agents; and with Latveria now launching U.N. sanctioned shuttle probes to the moon, who knows what info Doom might be collecting."

Peters eyes began to move across the floor as a deep fear began to surface; as his eyes returned to Nick Fury; that fear turned to anger. "How long were you going to let us go without knowing that our enemies might be gathering Intel on us? Not all of us are like Richards and Rogers; some of us like our secrets to stay that say."

"And I'm doing my best to keep it that way. But I need you to ditch the fly-boy. Right now public image is key, and he draws too much attention." Fury said as he eyed Peter down with his good eye; wondering if the kid actually had the stones to hit him.

"You want me to what? He's the best wing-man I've ever had. You said you want to improve public image; then keep him around!" Peter proclaimed proudly, remembering how a Superman had suggested to a deli-owner to give what was intended as a reward to a charity food drive.

"You really are a naive idiot aren't you?" Nick Fury said dully as held back a laugh. "Unfortunately for you, the whole world doesn't see your super best friend in the same light as you do." Nick Fury pulled out a newspaper from Toronto, Canada; the front page had a picture of Superman on it, and the heading that read, "_The American Superman. Proof of American Supremacy._" Fury then pulled out several other articles from other countries around the world with similar titles. Peter was shocked. "We don't need or want your friend on this team. But we want you leading it."

"You want me to what?" The shock became evident in Peters voice.

"You're not hearing things. Captain America endorsed your leadership of the 'New York Avengers' and the survival of your team, capture of a named villain, and minimal collateral damage of the area leave me with no excuse good enough not to." Fury seemed to grin as he watched Peters face contort from struggling with one thought to another. "But first you need to ground Superman." Fury said in a deep, serious tone. "If you don't, we'll be forced to execute the retrieval of Miles Warrens Project PKR-2. "

Peters look of mixed thoughts shifted to a single foreboding thought. "You mean... he's alive?" The shock in his voice gave way as he turned a pair of worried eyes towards Fury. "You wouldn't... you told him you'd leave him alone. I was there." Pleading was not something Peter did often, and the urgency in his voice made it clear to Fury that he had struck the right nerve.

"We've given it space. But we have it within our capacity to move in on it whenever we please." Fury said as another grin nestled its way onto his face.

" 'HE' has a name. And you have no reason be spying on him." The anger began to swell as Peters fists clenched into a fist. Fury looked down to the balled up fist that could crack his skull in two; wondering again if Parker had the stones to do it.

"It's name doesn't concern me. It was made in a vat, in one of my labs, by a man I never should have let on my base; so I'd say I have every reason to spy on it." Furys voice held a mocking tone, causing Spidermans face to tense up with anger even more. "Dr. Warrens formula would have left that thing as a pile of dust at some point if he hadn't used our resources to perfect his damn research. So the fact that it's still running around means I have every right to watch it."

"His name. Is Ben." Peter said as he began to step towards Nick Fury; the two men staring each other down. "And you don't need to threaten him to get to me." Peter said as he picked up his mask off the desk. "You've already shown me what you're willing to do when I don't play ball. So you got it Nick. I'll play." Peter said begrudgingly as he turned as began to walk towards the door.

As he reached the door he stopped and looked back. "I know you well enough to know that you keep family off limits. But to me; Ben is family." Peter reached his mask up an pulled it over his face. "And if you cross him; I wont hesitate to bring all of Hell down on your head." Spiderman slammed the door open, walked through with a rage swelling inside of him as he continued down the hallway.

Spiderman could feel his chest pounding up and down and his heart pushed against his chest. He had watched Ben die, watched him turn to dust; and he finds out that he's still alive like this... at least Aunt May would be glad to hear that her other favorite nephew, Benjamin Reilly was alright.

Spiderman opened the door to the waiting room, his mind still swimming from all that had transpired in the debriefing room. He began to try and arrange the words that he would have to say to CK; though nothing he thought up sounded like it gave enough of an explanation. He had seen how Clark had reacted when Coulson had made his television appearance and spoken about how Superman was not a menace; and now Spidey had to tell him that people were so afraid of him that they didn't even want to see him in the sky.

"Spiderman!" The voice of Reed Richards calling from the balcony drew Spideys attention. Spiderman waved at Reed as he approached.

"Hey Stretch! What're you doing down here?" As Spiderman approached he noticed that Reed was holding some kind of small radar; there was some sort of reading that he was picking up that was leaving visible indicators on the display.

"I came down to help with the team recovery. I'm sorry we didn't make it in time. There was an emergency with Franklin." Reed said in a pleading tone as Spiderman put his hands up in front of him.

"Reed; when it comes to Franky; I don't care if the world is about to end; that boy comes first." Reeds face turned to a bright smile at Spidermans words; seeing how much Peter cared for his son was more than a little inspiring to the smartest man alive. "Have you seen Superman around?"

Reed noticed the strange tone in Peters voice. "He left about twenty minutes ago. Tony called and asked for him to come out to Miami for a bit." Spiderman crossed his arms and seemed to go into deep contemplation. "What's wrong? I know when something is bothering you? We've worked together enough times that I can see right through that mask."

"They..." Spiderman was struggling to get the words out. "They want me to tell Superman that he can't leave the base. Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. want him grounded until he leaves." A guilty look crawled across Reeds face as he began to look out into the sky. "I don't know what to tell him Reed. How do I tell the nicest guy ever that he can't help people anymore?" A light sigh escaped Reed as he turned to face Spiderman.

"You're a good man. All that your friend can do; and all you see is a nice guy?" Reed reached out and placed a warm hand on Spidermans shoulder, his eyes holding a look of admiration. "Do me a favour; never change."

There was a sudden shadow that appeared, blocking out part of the sun. As the two Avengers looked up, they saw the flapping red cape and bright red boots of Superman as he approached.

His feet touched down on the balcony in front of the two. "How is everyone doing?" Superman said in a low voice, his head half hanging in shame from what he had done.

"They'll all make a full recovery. Danny is hurt pretty bad; time will tell what's going to happen with his hand." Reed said as the three began to stand there in an uneasy silence. "What did Tony want?" Reed added after a few moments.

"He just wanted to talk *." Superman said as his eyes came over Spiderman, who was shifting nervously in his spot. "Is something wrong?" Superman said to Spiderman, noticing his obvious discomfort.

*((OOC: Don't worry, you'll find out exactly what they talked about.))

"I..." Spiderman began, reaching up and rubbing the back of his head. "I mean... you... that is they" Spidermans nervous tone was evident in his voice, but before Spiderman could get out another word; Reed Richards cut in.

"We wanted to offer you a room at the Baxter building." Reed said with a bright smile across his face; Spiderman looking over to him in confussion.

"We do?" Spiderman said in his confused state. Superman and Reed both looked at him, Superman exchanging his look of confusion, but Reed casting him an urgent look. "Oh ya! I mean, we do." Spiderman said sternly as Reed took over.

"Fury has some trust issues, as I'm sure you've noticed; and he just wants his space after this last incident. You can stay with me and the other FF while you wait for travel home." Superman looked to Reed with a look of gratitude.

"You're sure? I'd hate to impose." Reed shook his head and laughed lightly.

"Don't worry Superman. There's enough room there that you could wander aimlessly and not impose. I tend to spend most of my time in my lab. Sue and the others will be around to keep you company though." Reed said with a bright smile as he turned to Spiderman.

"You're also welcome to drop by and see him whenever you'd like. I know Franklin would love to see you." Reed said as he motioned the two to begin following him.

Peter began to follow. "That sounds like a great idea! Come on CK. I'll help give you the grand tour of the FF-HQ." Spiderman said with a happy tone as Superman began to follow after them. As the three walked, Agent Coulson appeared behind them and began to call out to them.

"Spiderman!" Coulson shouted as he caught up to them. "Spiderman I need you to come with me."

"What?" Spiderman said in an annoyed tone. "Why? I just got an earful from Fury. What more does S.H.I.E.L.D. want from me?" Spidermans irritation was evident in his voice as Reed put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"It's not what they want. It's what I want you to see. Please." Coulson said as Spiderman looked back to Superman. "It wont take long."

"I'll catch up with you two in a bit." Spiderman said as he looked back to Superman. "We still make a good team." Spidey said with a grin.

"The best." Superman said, returning the smile. Spiderman stood for a moment before turning to follow agent Coulson. Reed Richards and Superman then continued on their way towards the docking bay. "That was a nice thing you did for him Mr. Richards." Superman said as he turned to Reed with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Reed said as he looked back to Superman with mild confusion.

"I heard what Spiderman said about Fury wanting me grounded. I understand why they feel this way, but I don't think he does." The two continued to walk, silence hanging around them.

"He's a good man. He tends to see the good in people. I've never known him to be so trusting of a man he just met though. You two must have made one hell of a first impression." Reed said with a grin that Superman returned. Suddenly Supermans attention was drawn as he heard a woman crying.

"Wait." Superman said as he veered off from following Reed and made his way down an adjacent hallway. Superman walked towards an open door and peeked his head inside to the sight of Ms. Marvel; her back was turned to the door and she was looking at a picture mounted on the wall. The picture was of a man in a red and blue uniform with a bright yellow star on his chest. The man had blonde hair and wore a mask over his face.

"His name was Mar-Vel." Reed Richards whispered from behind Superman. "He was a Kree spy; who ended up saving us all from their invasion. He saved Carol from a government testing facility after the Kree altered her physiology." Reed said as he turned to leave, but Superman continued into the room and Reed waited at the door-way.

"Ms. Danvers?" Superman said as he approached. Ms. Marvel turned around, revealing the tears in her eyes as she began to wipe them away.

"What is it?" She said in an angry tone as she turned to Superman.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?" Supermans voice was filled with concern; Ms. Marvel cast him a cross look before her face returned to one of contorted frustration. "It's just... that damn machine. It hit me right where it hurt. Knew exactly what..." Ms. Marvel turned away and looked towards the picture of Captain Marvel. "He was strong. He was brave. He saved the whole damn planet. He wouldn't have been as weak as I was today." Ms. Marvel said as she clenched her fists. "He could have taught me so much about what happened to me; but instead he had to die!"

"I know how you feel." Superman said in a weak tone, causing Ms. Marvel to turn to him in anger.

"You know? What do you know about losing the one man who gave you purpose?" Carol Danvers shouted towards Superman as his own eyes began to hold a look of resolve. The look quickly gave way to one of sorrow.

"In my life. I've had two fathers." Clark said as his voice held a gentle tone. "My biological father; held me in his arms only once, before he launched me into space to save my life." Supermans eyes began to tear up. "My adopted father; died in my arms while I was powerless to save him." As Superman spoke, Ms. Marvels breathing began to calm, her sympathy overcoming her as he looked into Supermans deep blue eyes. "Both these men made me who I am. Gave me purpose. That machine that got into our heads; it used our own memories against us. Everything we saw was a hell of our own making. You've had to live with your pain every day; just like I have. That...thing; only brought it to the surface."

"Do you have a point to all of this?" Ms. Marvel said, the sorrow behind her voice barely held back.

"My point;" Superman began, "is that you've beaten this pain already. You know what he gave you that time can never take. That thing may have tried to warp it; try to destroy the image of those we keep in our hearts; but you know what he meant to you, and how much you obviously cared for him. Don't let what happened today tarnish that."

Carol looked to Superman, a serious look cutting across her face. "That." She said in a strong tone. "Was extremely corny." A wide smile then perched across her face.

"Well, I did grow up on a farm. We did, ironically, grow corn." Clark said with a slight grin as Carol began to laugh lightly. As her laughter subsided Superman reached out and took hold of her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Ms. Marvel smiled towards Superman, leaning in and resting her head on his shoulder as she hugged him under his arms and whispered. "I'm super."

**Day 2/ Part 20 1:03 PM**

"What's this about Coulson?" Spiderman said begrudgingly as the two entered into one of the empty briefing rooms. "Unless you're going to tell me how sorry you are about keeping secrets from me about my own clone; I don't think I want to hear it." Spiderman said in an agitated tone.

"It's about you're friend that you've been flying around with the last two days." Coulson said as he moved towards one of the computers; inserting a memory stick into the drive and pulling up a file with the name 'AVENGERS CASE-FILE: 12087-A17: THE 'SUPERMAN' INCIDENT'. Coulson began printing the file without opening it.

"I already got the third degree from Fury; I didn't expect it from you too. He's only been doing good since I met him. That whole thing with the Avengers was that Luthor guys fault; and today we were hit by the freaking Psycho-Man! I'm sorry for not being able to know when everyone is going to get taken over by a brain-controlling wrist-watch!" Spiderman said with clear annoyance and anger in his voice as he readied himself for Coulsons rebuttal.

"This isn't about the damage he caused to the team Spidey." Coulson said as he turned around, the sound of pages flying out of the printer held in the background. "You're friend may be on the up and up; he may be as naive as you; we really don't know. And the fact that he can do what he can do is reason enough for anyone to be more than a little jumpy." Coulson said with a stern voice as Spidernan began to stare him down. "You've been so excited to have a new super-friend that you never even asked anyone else how they felt about him."

Spiderman seemed taken back by Coulsons statement. "What do you mean? The Avengers are all friends with him now? He just went and visited Stark!" Spiderman said in confusion as the printer finished. Coulson turned and recovered the pages; placing them in an empty folder before handing it to Spiderman.

"Why don't you give these excerpts a read over. Then tell me how 'friendly' you think your team-mates are with him." Spiderman reached out, slowly taking the folder before he opened it up and looked at the cover page.

"What is this?" Spiderman asked as Coulson began to walk towards the door.

"If you bothered to read the protocol manual that I gave you; you'd know that Avengers are supposed to write mission reports after their involvement in any recorded incident. And unlike you; at least some of the others do their homework." Coulson turned to leave the room, then turned back at the last moment; "He's in Canada. Montreal. He made me promise to keep it from you."Coulson left the room; leaving Spiderman alone with the case-file.

-The End.

((OOC: Well, that's the end of this adventure! Psycho-Man has been dealt with, and the New Avengers have been broken before they ever got started. But don't worry! The New Avengers aren't done yet! Come back for the epilogue to see Superman arrive at the Baxter building; ALSO, we go back to see how Lex Luthor might be able to use these current developments to his advantage! Also in the epilogue; the final fate of the hand of the Iron Fist!))

((Don't forget to look out for the next stage of the story that continues Supermans adventure in the Marvel universe in "Superman and the Family Fantastic!".))

((Are you interested in what may be contained in the folder that Coulson gave to Spiderman? To find out it's contents and how the other Avengers feel about their special 'guest'; be sure to look for a special story of collected one shots entitled "AVENGERS CASE-FILE: 12087-A17: THE 'SUPERMAN' INCIDENT". Which will delve into how the Avengers perceive Superman.))

((Hope everyone has enjoyed the ride! My thanks to everyone who has supported the continued development of the story! You're reviews and ideas give me inspiration and drive to get more written! In the words of the great one; the onle one; 'The Man': Excelcior! Until next time! Happy readings :))


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

**Day 2/ 1:10 PM**

_Xavier Mansion..._

"You're sure about this, Scott?" Henry McCoy asked in a worried tone as he stood over his injured leader. "I admit that the simulations yielded positive results; but the formula is still UN-tested on mutant subjects." Beast held a syringe in his right hand that contained a formula that had been synthesized from Wolverines blood. The formula had worked on humans, with only mild traces of the X-gene staying in the body until they were expelled during... normal bodily functions.

"Now's as good a time as any." Scott Summers said through a broken gasp as he fought against the seething pain in his ribs. "I'm no good to anyone stuck like this. Trask had a hand in making this thing; let's see if it has a chance of working on us." Scott said as he tried to grin through the pain; Beast smiled in appreciation of Scotts attempt to stay strong.

"You have my solemn oath as a practitioner of medicine that I will not let anything befall you. I have run the simulations several times. This will work." Beast readied Scotts' I.V. and then readied the formula. "Are you ready for what comes next?"

"I'm ready. Just... If I start acting like Logan; promise me you wont let anyone visit." Scott Summers grinned as he closed his eyes behind his visor.

_Back at Avengers Mansion_

Peter Parker put down the last page of the case-file Coulson had given him. His mask lay on the table before him, beside the stack of papers; and as his hand reached out for his mask, it began to tremble. He brought his hand back down to his lap, gripping at his knee as he stared at the back of the last page.

He couldn't believe some of the things that he had read; Reed Richards recommending extermination as a viable option for Superman struck out like a knife to Spidermans gut. The Reed he knew didn't look at people like lab rats. There was an unsettling feeling that ran through him as he remembered how Reed had offered Clark a room at the Baxter Building.

Peter found himself shaking his head, a light disbelieving laugh escaping his lips as he reviewed his thoughts. This was Reed Richards; with everything that had happened since these reports had been written, Reeds opinion was bound to have changed. The way Spidey looked at it, if Reed still thought Superman should be exterminated, he wouldn't be inviting him to the place where everyone he loved rested their heads at night. Spidey hoped he was right, that Reed trusted Superman at least a little bit.

Spiderman reached his hand back up, this time his hand remained steady as he closed the file in front of him. Yet as he reached for his mask, he had sudden thought. If Coulson wanted his opinion on Superman; then he could have it. Spiderman walked up to the computer, dragging his chair with him and sat himself in front of the screen, opening a blank document, and with a long sigh Spiderman began to put his thoughts down.

**Day 2/ 1:35 PM **

Danny Rand struggled to maintain his focus as he lay in the hospital bed; highly trained S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors running all around him as he tried not to scream from the pain. He had told them not to administer any sedatives, as they would interfere with Danny's meditative techniques.

The doctors bickered amongst themselves over their frustration from Dannys reluctance to allow them to administer any of their medical practices. Several of them had tried to convince him that the only way to proceed was amputation; to which Danny was not even slightly interested. They even offered to graft a vibranium weaved arm in it's place, but Danny still refused.

The shouting voices and the pangs of metal instruments soon became background noise as Danny began to tune them out, focusing his thoughts on the pulsating throb that echoed up his shoulder. He couldn't believe that so much damage had been done from a single punch, to a man to who looked so ordinary (aside from the obvious fact that he was flying). Yet it didn't matter how he had looked; the second Danny had seen that symbol on his chest; the same one from his vision; he knew that he had found who he had been sent for.

A euphoric smile formed along Danny Rands face as he thought of the friends who had all gathered around him before he was brought into this hospital room; Luke, Carol, Peter, Kurt Wagner had even stayed for a little while. At the time Danny was so overcome with pain that he hadn't been able to appreciate their company; but now, as his mind began to steady, the image of their faces was more than enough to help him forget about that terrible vision he had seen, where they were all dead at the feet of this... Superman.

As Danny sighed lightly, a small laugh escaped his lips as a stray thought entered into his meditation. It really didn't matter what he would have had to fight; it didn't matter if Superman could have turned him into a pretzel; he would have done anything to save them, even if it meant he would never again see the mystical city.

Suddenly, the noise that Danny was concentrating on blocking out stopped abruptly. At first Danny thought he might have drifted off into his subconscious, but as he opened his eyes he saw that all of the doctors seemed to be frozen in their places; all of time around him had come to a halt.

There was a blinding light that appeared in front of the bed that Danny lay in; the light took a physical form and began to shape itself into a sphere. The light then danced out of the sphere, causing Danny to cover his eyes, and when he looked back he saw the hooded mask and long majestic robe of his Master Yu-Ti.

"Your decision held consequences more dire than you could have ever anticipated." Yu-Ti said, his pride in Dannys success hidden behind a veil of discipline. "You acted without knowing; and have wounded yourself beyond the repair of mans powers." Danny listened intently as the pain in his arm kept him from greeting his Master. "You were told that we sent you out into the world to protect man from themselves; this is, and shall always be your primary mission." Yu-Ti kept a stern voice as he held Dannys gaze. "But; in order to protect mankind, you must know what it means to love mankind. The friendships you have made with these... Avengers. They strengthen you, as you do them. When you left New York, you thought that you did not truly need them; that they would fade into your memory when you moved on to your next mission." Danny nodded, his mind had long since been open to his Master.

"I..." Danny began, his voice was weak, and he found himself speaking only when he was breathing in, or out. "Always thought... you would send me... away."

Yu-Ti took a moment of silence before he responded. "And I shall. For evil runs its veins deep, coursing far across the domain of men. And now, finall, you have found what it is I wanted you to learn." A smile crept over Dannys face.

"I... don't have to... do it alone." Dannys words were followed by an explosion of light from the sphere that still floated behind him.

"Your body shall be healed. You have proven that none other deserved the title more than you. My Iron Fist." Yu-Ti's words recalled the light, which engulfed Danny Rand and Yu-Ti, causing them to disappear from the hospital room.

Time once again took its rightful hold on the world as the doctors continued to argue, though their chatter only lasted for a moment longer before they realized that their patient was no longer with them.

**Day 2/ 1:45 PM **

Spiderman exited the conference room he had been sitting in, only to be startled to attention by the voice of Superman. "Hey." He said as Spiderman nearly jumped; his spider sense didn't warn him because Superman obviously wasn't a threat.

"Jeez, don't sneak up on a guy like that." Spiderman said half laughing as he approached Superman. "What're you still doing here? I thought you were heading out with Reed."

"I decided to stay and chat with Ms. Marvel for a little while, Reed had to get back so I figured I would just head out with you. I remember you saying you were going to drop by eventually, I figured it would give us a chance to talk."

Spidermans mind began to race. "Uh, yeah." He couldn't go flying around with Superman after Fury had given him orders to ground him. "But, we should, uh, walk." A look of confusion was cast at Spiderman. "I'm out of... web... fluid."

The look of confusion on Supermans face turned to one of amusement as a grin cut across his mouth. 'You're a terrible liar." Spiderman tried to act surprised by the statement, by he knew what he was good at; and this wasn't it. "I heard what you said about Fury wanting me grounded." Superman said as Spiderman seemed taken back. "As I was approaching; it was the first thing I heard. And I'm sorry that I heard it; but I want you to know that I don't blame you for how they feel. I'm used to it." A weak sigh escaped the Man of Steel as he tried to perk up. "Walking doesn't sound like a bad idea though. Street clothes?"

"That sounds like an even better idea." Spiderman said as he began to lead Superman towards the changing area that Peter kept his civilian wear. "We should be able to find something in Luke's wardrobe that'll fit you."

_A little while later; on the busy streets of New York City... _

Clark Kent and Peter Parker walked down the busy New York downtown streets, Clark still wore Ben Parkers old glasses that Aunt May had given to him. The two had left the Avengers Mansion through a small tunnel that led into a back alleyway in the downtown area.

"So, what exactly did you want to talk about?" Peter said as the two walked down the sidewalk. "Besides the fact that you accidentally eavesdropped on me."

"Sorry again about that." Clark said with a mild chuckle. "But I wanted to thank you." The sound of a young girl screaming brought their attention to across the street, where they saw that a young a girl was recoiling in fear from a small boy who was holding a live worm in the girls face.

"Screaming children; never fails to scare the crap out of me." Peter took in a deep breath, Clark could hear his heart beating a little bit faster than normal. "What did you mean though? Not that I don't appreciate the praise."

A remorseful look came over Clarks face as he pushed his glasses against his face. "When that machine had got into my head; it made me think I had made it back home." Clarks voice took on a hopeful cheer for a moment, before he continued. "But everything was in ruins. Everything I had ever known was a smoking pile of ash in front of me. I saw that everyone was gone; that a pantheon of the Earths greatest threats had banded together; and without me there, the world had fallen." Angry fists clenched as Clark remembered the horrific sights that he had seen.

"CK." Peter reached out and put a comforting hand on Clarks shoulder as they continued to walk. "We all saw things that pushed us. We can't let what we did in those states get to us."

"But I was the only one that really hurt anyone." A guilty feeling coursed its way through Clark as he spoke.

"I don't know; Carol blasted me pretty good." A slight grin cut across Peters face as the two turned down another street. Clark smiled back to him.

"I could have killed you." Clarks voice took on a serious tone as he stopped in his place; Peter turning towards him, revealing that he too was no longer smiling. "What I saw... what I did when I thought I was fighting those imaginary enemies; I was ready to kill." Clarks head hung with shame, Peters mind began to flash through several of the case-files he had read. "But then I heard you're voice. 'No one dies today.' That's what you said."

"Actually," Peter cut in; "there was a whole speech about fear and hate and stuff. It was pretty moving." Clark couldn't help but smile.

"Sorry that I missed it." The two began walking again. "But what I did hear; it reminded me of what it is that I've been doing wrong. I've been at my wits end with Lex; and I've been letting my frustration with him get the better of me. You reminded me of what I have to keep telling myself in order to be able to do what I do. 'No one dies'. Not while I can do something about it."

"No one dies." Peter said with a proud voice as the Baxter building came into view as they turned another street corner. "I'll sign that mission statement." The two continued on their way; the Baxter building only two blocks more. Peter took a glimpse back at Clark; and his eyes began to hover on Clarks glasses for a moment before Peter turned his attention back in front of him. "You know; someone once told me, 'with great power, comes great responsibility'."

"Sounds like a wise person. Who said it?" A curious tone from Clark made Peter smile as he turned his head again.

"You're wearing his glasses." Peter said with a light grin as he turned his head again. "He was my Uncle Ben... I really think you two would have liked each other... What he said though, it kind of goes hand in hand with what you're saying. We have the power to stop people from getting hurt; so it's our responsibility to do everything we can to make sure no one dies."

The two continued on; and though Clark had never said it; Aunt May reminded him a lot of his own mother; and he wondered if Peters Uncle Ben had been anything like his own father... "I'm sure I would have liked him."

Soon, the two came to the front door to the Baxter Building. "Well, here we are." Peter proclaimed in an excited voice as he reached out and opened the door to the waiting area. "Welcome to the Baxter building, Mr. Kent."

_((Authors Note: Be sure to follow Superman as he meets the residents of the Baxter building in the new Story; "Superman and the Family Fantastic". ))_

**Day 2/ 2:30 PM**

Lex Luthor lay upon the small bed in his lone cell in level six of the vault. He held a small book above his head which was about mixing cocktails, and was mouthing something to himself as he read.

The sound of grinding gears suddenly called Lexes attention as he looked through his bars and towards the only door into his cell block. Lex quickly moved over to the toilet and, dropping his pants and planting himself onto the seat, Lex readied himself in wait for Nick Fury to enter the room. However, Lex was surprised to see that when the door did open, it was a shorter man in a black suit and wearing large rimmed glasses; the man also had a lapel on of the American flag. The man was followed by an escort of two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

The man cast a perplexed look towards Lex as he stood up and put his pants back on. "Did I come at a bad time?" The man asked with confusion in his voice as Lex turned and smiled towards him.

"Not at all. I thought you were someone else." Lex moved towards his bed and sat down upon it. "What can I do for you today gentlemen?" He crossed his arms as he sat, looking upon the man with analytical eyes.

"Mr. Luthor;" the man with the glasses and suit began; his voice was held at a dulling monotone; "my name is Warren Worthington the second. I am the presidents lead adviser in the area of mutant and super-human relations." As Mr. Worthington spoke, Lex eyed down the small roll of blue-prints tucked under his arm. "The President would like to extend an olive branch to you. We understand that you have an extensive knowledge of technology that we have yet to discover." Mr. Worthington approached the cell and placed the blue-prints and a small pencil into a slot on the wall. The slot was closed and its contents were transferred into the cell, and Lex reached into his half of the box and pulled out the papers to see that they were blank.

"What do you want from me exactly?" Lex said with a curious look in his eyes.

"Let's start with the device you used to incapacitate Reed Richards. If we like what we see, then we'll see what can be done to improve upon your situation." A sly grin quickly cut across Lexes face; only to be quickly replaced by a stern look of determination came over his face.

"Give me five minutes." Lex reached in and took out the blank blue prints and the pencil. "I think you'll be very interested in what I have to offer."

**Day 2/ 6:30 PM**

Scott Summers had recovered exceedingly well from the use of the experimental formula derived from Wolverines blood; and though he was still technically on the mend, he was currently riding his motorcycle (which was unfortunately the only working tire-based vehicle at the moment) and was going to a place he had not been since he left for Xaviers school when he was a teenager.

"_Scott_." Xavier voice echoed through Scott Summers memory as he drove his motorcycle through a small housing district. "_You have been pushing on like this since Jean passed. You can't keep blaming yourself for what happened to her._" As Scott continued to drive, he turned down a steep road and started coming to a lone house perched by a small pond. "_Now you blame SHIELD for Alex the same way you blame yourself for Jean. You hate yourself with the same passion that makes you hate mankind._" Scott turned his bike off as he removed his helmet and looked towards the familiar house; it looked as if it wasn't being taken care of as well as it used to be. The lawn, which usually was the most attractive aspect of the property, was now a shadow of its former glory. He left his bike in the driveway and continued towards the door. "_Your faith is hanging by a thread Scott. Maybe it's time you strengthened that string_."

A nervous hand reached up to the door and knocked three times; he began to settle himself before the door swung open to reveal the sight of a short balding elder man who wore a light green blazer and had half moon spectacles. The man looked up to Scott with a shocked expression as Scott grinned nervously towards him. "Hi Terry."

Terry looked at Scott with continued bafflement; he hadn't seen the boy since they had buried Terrys wife, Annette. Terry and Annette Curtis had been the last foster family that Scott Summers had ever had; the two were in their sixties when they adopted Scott, and the two had never had children of their own. "Scott... my... come in. Please." Terry said in a daze as Scott entered the house, Scott could smell the light touch of whiskey on Terrys breath.

As Scott looked around the houses interior, he was shocked to find that it looked pristine in it's upkeep. Everything had been dusted, the wood was all varnished and well taken care of; and Scott could see that Terry was even using a coaster; something Scott had never seen Terry do. The door closed shut as Terry walked up next to Scott and gazed up at his visor; not noticing that Scott was transfixed by the room.

"That thing help with... your condition?" Terry asked nervously as Scott looked over to him; trying not to shout out how he didn't have any 'condition'.

"It helps with my powers, yes." Scott said nervously as he suddenly began to regret his decision in coming here. There was a long, awkward silence that hung in the air for what felt like forever.

"I never liked house work." Terry began as he moved towards his drink on the coaster; sitting down in his couch as he reached up and took a sip. "I always preferred to take care of my lawn; that always felt like a mans way to care for his property." Terry took another sip as Scott took a seat in the chair next to him. "Annie always hated that. She always wanted me to help out more with the house work. She said it would have given us more time to talk; but I just never liked doing it."

Scott looked around and caught a glimpse of a large picture on the side table of Terry and Annette on their wedding day. "You don't seem to feel that way now though."

"Still hate it." Terry added frantically. "But; she would have hated to see the house fall apart. The cleaners are paid to work thirty hours a week; they do twenty on the interior, and ten outside. I can't exactly clean up everything at my age." Another awkward silence hung in the air as Terry took another, exceptionally long sip from his whiskey before glaring at Scott with a curious look. "What did you come back for?" Scott turned his head and looked at Terry. It hadn't been said with anger, or fear; and Scott didn't quite know how to answer. "Don't mean to be rude; but you and I were never the friends my wife wanted us to be."

"No; we weren't." Scott reached out with a steady hand, and Terry handed his half empty glass to him; Scott took a sip. "But your wife; your sweet, loving, beautiful wife; was the first foster parent I had who stood by me. When she found out why I never took off my glasses, she didn't try to have me sent away; she didn't call the police..." a pang of guilt rang through Terry as Scott spoke; "She held me close, and told me that she still wanted me to be her son. That she still loved me. And I... I just wanted to remember her with someone else that she loved. She was the first person to ever really accept me."

"She accepted you... and I didn't." Terry blurted out the words in a grief stricken cry as he fell off the couch, and to his knees. "My God; I'm so sorry Scott. I'm so sorry." Scott knelt down and began to help Terry back to the couch. "We always fought about you; even after you left for the Xavier school." Terry was crying as Scott placed him on the couch. "I hate admitting it; but I have to. I have to admit how afraid I was of you. How afraid I am that you won't blast me to an ash-pile for how I used to talk to you." Scott took his seat back on the chair as he leaned forward and listened intently.

"You never knew it; but our real last name was Kurtzenberg. It was changed during the second world war when Annette and I were fleeing from Nazi occupied France. We were so young then; still children ourselves; but still, fear seemed to have taken a firm grip of my life. I always hated them for that; not just the Nazi's but all of Germany for letting themselves be fooled like they were." Terry shook his head, and tried to not let the old feeling take hold. "My brother; Albert, had been captured in Germany after they started rounding people up. I never heard from him again." Another long silence hung between the two.

"I..." Scott said weakly. "I found my brother. Alex." His fists clenched as a glimmer went across his visor. His mouth cut into an angry frown as he looked back up to Terry. ""He was killed during the MRA. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents cornered us; we fought back... he didn't make it." Another loud sob escaped Terry as his hands clasped quickly around his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Scott." Terry cried as he removed his hands from his face to reveal his eyes were full of tears. "Annette and I; we used to argue. I went to these rallies a few years ago; before she died. She hated me for going to them; she said it was just like what the Nazis did to us." Scotts fists clenched as his face began to contort into a frustrated scowl; he knew what was coming next; and he could already feel the resentment brewing inside of him. "But I went anyways; those 'Friends of Humanity' as they called themselves; and every time I went, I know that she hated me a little more, and I wouldn't blame you if you hate me for it too. After how I treated you when you were young; you have every right to. I'm no better than those Germans that I hate so much." A look of enlightenment came over Terry as he glanced back up. "Scott... my boy; I'm so sorry."

The scowl across Scotts face held as he stared at Terry; tears running profusely from his face as he tried to hold back the guilt he felt. Scott could feel the anger swelling; the Friends of Humanity were the biggest group of Mutant haters the X-Men had ever dealt with; and Terry had supported them. The man who hadn't had a kind word to say to him since they found out about his Mutation. Scott glared at him; ready to let Terry have a piece of his mind when he realized what Terry had just called him. "You've never called me that before." Scott said in a soft whisper; Terry looking up to him in confusion. "You just called me your boy."

Terry wiped the wetness from his face as he smiled towards his adopted son.  
>"I did; didn't I?" Scott reached over with a warm hand, placing it on Terry's shoulder as he smiled warmly towards him. "Scott... I'm so sorry."<p>

"Terry... I forgive you." Scott moved next to Terry on the couch and embraced his adopted father in a hug.

"So." Terry said as he continued to wipe the tears from his face. "Tell me about your brother; was he as good a man as you are?"

The smile held on Scotts face as he reached into his pocket and removed his wallet; showing Terry a picture of Alex Summers and Scott when they had finally been reunited. "He was a better man than I could ever be."

-The End

_((Authors Note: A few things I'd like to point out; the first is how I've re-worked Cyclops past; I wanted to give him someone that grounds him to the human race; and I thought that since this is technically a Superman story; I'd go with the adopted father. I took the name Terry Kurtzenburg from the DC database; trying to weave the universes together a little more, even in miniscule ways. Hope you've all enjoyed the story and continue with 'Superman and the Family Fantastic'; which has it's first chapter up now for your enjoyment. Happy reading))_


End file.
